SAO: The After story
by TheCrimsonOrchid
Summary: Have you ever wondered what comes after years of effort, hard work and battles against life and oneself? Well, they have. It's time to discover what the future has in store for 'em. T rated, straight KiritoxAsuna. Read at your own consent. Give it a chance! Lotsa drama, Romance, and a little bit of Comedy to sweeten it up. Who's up for it?
1. Prologue: The most important question

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo3rd person

_10/12/2029_

She was beat, she had to admit it. Because between her part-time job at the nursery, the house chores to do around the apartment -cooking, cleaning and such-, visiting her little daughter Yui in ALO, and her other everyday activities, Yuuki Asuna barely had time to sit down and relax.

As of this moment, it has been around 5 years since the SAO incident, Asuna and her boyfriend Kirigaya Kazuto had -FINALLY- graduated from college and found a small apartment where they moved together with the help of their group of friends.

Today, like always, she was cooking breakfast for herself and Kazuto, so she went out to buy the ingredients at the closest convenience store. The cold winter was approaching and to protect herself from the chills of fall, she bought a simple beige trench coat and a hot pink knitted scarf which she put on over her clothes before leaving. As she picked the ingredients for the day's breakfast, she noticed the astonishing amount of married, engaged couples (or so she guessed by the rings and by the fact most were holding hands), and couples with little children. 'Will something like that _even_ happen to us?' She sighed deeply, she really shouldn't be thinking like that, after all, both of them were working their hardest to get enough Yen to maintain themselves, and therefore, he had absolutely no time to even think about engagement, marriage and things of the sort. She shook her head slightly to get rid of the intruding train of thoughts and continued her trip for groceries, stealing small glances of the young couples (specifically the ones with little children) now and then.

When she opened the door and got in the apartment, she called out a loudly "I'm Home!" to get back the usual "Welcome back, Asuna!" from Kazuto, who was across the hall, usually in the office-like room he used to work. As she prepared breakfast, she felt a couple of warm arms snake around her body and come to a stop at her waist, and someone's chin rest atop her shoulder while his deep voice casually asked

"Is breakfast ready?" To which she answered with an amused "Someone's finally decided to get up huh? I'm willing to bet my pride that somebody right here is hungry" She giggled and continued with her teasing "Now, if you'll please release me, I have to finish our breakfast" She teased in a feigned bothered demeanor.

Then, the incredibly naive 'Beater' finally realized he was still holding onto her waist, and proceed to release her in a very flustered state and continuously apologized for his behavior while bowing deeply, then sheepishly scratching the back of his head

"Whatever, breakfast is almost ready, so go wash your hands" She added in a commanding tone

"Yes, m'am. You don't have to tell me twice!" He quickly answered before going back through the hall, into the bathroom. Following that, Asuna heard the noise of water running and giggled slightly, and then she sighed, her earlier thoughts coming back to her, so to clear her mind, she decided to focus on preparing the table for their upcoming meal.

After breakfast, the young couple was having a small talk about simple and random topics while drinking some herbal tea, when out of the blue Kazuto asked

"So … are you ... um you know, ... uh ... _free_ after this?" Asuna tilted her head to the right in confusion

"Yeah, why?"

He smiled and then unexpectedly, he asked "Then, let's go on a date just the two of us. What do you say?" She mentally smiled at the idea of spending some time alone with the bo- no, the young man she loved, and wholeheartedly agreed, giving him a small smile.

"Then, I have to go pick something I forgot, so meet you at the park at ... um ... 2 o clock?" He ventured nervously.

"Of course! I wouldn't miss our first date in such a long time for anything in the world! Just make sure to be there in time" She teased before asking "Where shall I wait for you?"

He seemed to consider the possibilities for a couple of seconds before he said "How about you wait for me under the sakura tree? Even if it isn't as nice as in summer we could have a small picnic: You take some food, and I take the blanket and some beverages" He carefully explained.

"OK, I have no objections to your plan. Let's have a wonderful time!" He smiled at her childish but contagious attitude and reminded himself to prepare _that_ surprise...

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_That same day, 14:10_

'Where is he? He is 10 minutes late and he hasn't even called me. Where the heck did he get himself in?' It was 4:10 and Asuna arrived 15 minutes ago, and sat on a bench near the tree. She wasn't gonna lie, she was freezing _AND_ worried sick as he hadn't arrived yet. As she was waiting for him, she remembered she had gotten in the park from the eastern gate and as she thought he wasn't going to arrive just yet, she found a bench and sat down. She _totally_ forgot to check in the place of the sakura tree! Maybe he was in there! _'GREAT,_ just _great,_ now it will look like I am the one who's late.' Asuna thought angrily and mentally pouted as she picked up the basket she prepared earlier and set off towards said meeting place.

As she got closer to said tree, she noticed the figure of a young man holding a bag which contents where hidden, whose jet black hair fluttered slightly at the breeze. He had his back facing her, and one hand inside his right pocket. She started fidgeting on her spot as she thought to make up for her mistake by doing something -which she considered **_SERIOUSLY_** embarrassing-, and as she thought hard for some seconds, she decided it wouldn't hurt to try something herself once in a while... She suppressed the blush and the sigh that were threatening to escape, and put her plan into action as she slowly made her way towards the naive and unsuspecting young man.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo Kazuto PoV

As I finished collecting the item I ''forgot'', I left the small shop and headed for the destination. I entered by the western gate, and reached the meeting place 10 minutes before the agreed time and looked around. I saw absolutely no signal of Asuna appearing so I placed the blanket on the floor, sat down and began waiting. Or so was the plan, but at the meeting time there was still no clue of Asuna's whereabouts and I was getting really worried, so I folded the blanket once again and put it back in the black **(A/N: Hehehehe, the irony)**, plastic bag.

I spent other five minutes or so waiting, when I felt two soft hands go around my head, one obstructing my view, and the other one covering my mouth, but I decided to remain calm. I started to panic slightly the second I felt something warm and humid lightly nibble on my earlobe, and a pair soft lips slowly tracing my jawline, and the hand that was previously on my mouth, leaving it's earlier place to turn me around, towards the mysterious person. If I wasn't as conscious as I was, I would probably be as still as a statute, but I was squirming uncomfortably as the unknown woman —I just _knew_ it was a woman—, continued her ministrations around my face and neck.

Then, I almost jumped when I felt the woman's lips pressing against my own and start to kiss me hungrily, almost desperately , but the fact that I recognized that manner of kissing, made me kiss back just as fiercely in hopes my instincts were right, and the woman in front of me was effectively _her._ As I began to kiss back, the girl moved both of her hands around my neck, so I opened my eyes so I could see her real identity.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The woman in front of him was in no way a stranger, from her waist-length chestnut colored hair, to her milky and tender skin, and those beautiful hazelnut eyes that seemed to penetrate his soul and read his thoughts. She was the love of his life, and she couldn't look more beautiful in her knee-length red dress, white thick pantyhose, beige coat and pink scarf. The name of the woman who held his heart was Asuna, Yuuki Asuna, and they met inside the Death game SAO, got married in-game, and adopted a black-haired child by the name of Yui.

Their life together had been full of hardships, obstacles and battles, yet he didn't regret killing a man to protect her, he didn't regret marrying her, he didn't regret protecting her from everything that came their way and he didn't even think about regreting the fact that he fell in love with her.

He had been _VERY_ busy lately. He told Asuna that he was doing extra time in his job, but he was actually overworking himself is order to buy that object, that shiny thin silver band with the small ruby on the center. That's right, he had thought long and hard about how much did Asuna mattered to him. He loved her, and he had didn't doubt she felt the same, so he worked, worked, came home very late, woke up early, studied and worked until the routine repeated itself. He was tired, he was anxious and he couldn't waste more time, so he bought the ring, sent it to engrave a message in it, and asked Asuna out on a date.

Then he changed into his clothing for the date (taking extra care for it to be decent and not completely black), got out of the apartment and got the ring back. While he waited for Asuna under the tree, he unconsciously started to softly caress the fluffy surface of the small velvet box that was on his right pocket. That was when she appeared like that.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo 3rd person

She finished her ministrations on the man, and proceed to kiss him fiercely, only to be surprised at him kissing back. That was when she released him, and put her hands around his neck, feeling him putting his in her she pulled back for air, she caught him staring at her appearance and she smirked teasingly saying

"See something you like?" Only to be caught off guard by a husky whisper

"Yes, everything" She then jumped back in surprise blushing to the roots of her hair and trying to hide her face. When she looked up, he was smirking at her as he asked "Why do you ask Asuna?".

"You jerk" She said pouting before adding in a whisper "What were you gonna do if it wasn't me who kissed you?" He didn't even think twice before saying

"I knew it was you, I would recognize that way of touching and kissing anywhere, believe me, I know that better than anyone" That comment made her blush deepen (if that was even possible by then), into a dark shade of crimson that seemed to shine in that October afternoon and leave the colors of the leaves in shame.

"You know, Asuna, there's something I want to tell you..."

_TO BE CONTINUED..._


	2. New choices and news telling

"You know, Asuna, there's something I wan- no, _need_ to tell you..." Kazuto trailed off nervously leaving Asuna confused

"Something you need to tell me... What is it?" She asked sweetly while his fidgeting slowed to a stop and he took both her hands in his.

The unexpected move of the young man made Asuna blush and look away, which made Kazuto calm down a bit as he wasn't the only one who was nervous. Then, one of his hands left the warmth of hers to cup her right cheek softly and make Asuna face him.

Her breathing was laborious, her eyes tried to look away -failing miserably- and her face had a pinkish tinge on it; all signals of her embarrassment. Yet he thought to himself that she couldn't look prettier, so he swallowed his nervousness and began.

"Asuna, you know I've loved you _all of this time_ without doubt, and that no matter the danger, I'll _always_ protect you, right?"

"Y-yes, I know" She said in a small voice as her hazelnut-colored eyes filled with small tears. The problem was, he didn't know if they were of happiness or something else, but he left his doubts aside and continued.

"A-And if something ever happens to you-" He saw the worry in her eyes as he said that in a pained voice, but kept going "I won't have any reason to stay ali-" He was saying as she interrupted him with her own confession.

"M-me too, I also want t-to protect you, because I would neither have a reason to live if you d-d-died" She finished in a shaky voice as her eyes let countless tears fall down her face.

He extended his hand and softly brushed his thumb over her right eye and he kept talking.

"I've always loved you, I still have, and I will love you for my whole life. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, so if you accept me, I'll be the happiest man in the world." As he said this words, Asuna was reflecting an expression off pure happiness as she let the tears fall free down her cheeks. "Yuuki Asuna, would you marry me?"As he pronounced the last sentence, he got down on one knee, took out from his pocket the little velvet box, and showed her it's contents.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo Asuna PoV

In front of me, was the man I loved, sweetly asking me to be his wife. I couldn't stop the tears from rolling down my face, nor the slight, almost inaudible sobs. At that second I thought back to the moments we spent together: The moment we met, the time we teamed up and beat _Ilfang,_ the time we investigated the crime within the safe area, when Kazuto hunted that Ragout Rabbit and I cooked it for us, when he beat the Gleam Eyes with his dual-wielding skill, when he fought against the guild leader and had to join the KoB, when we kissed for the first time in the canyon, when **that** confusion ended up in a night full of pleasure, when he proposed... Those beautiful moments he spent with me. Then I remembered that time he asked me to move in with him to his apartment, it had been three months ago, yet I could remember perfectly the way he stammered trying to ask me to live with him, and having me giggling at his behaviour only made it worst for him.

Then, I came back to the present. Kazuto was still on his knee holding the box that had the ring. It was really beautiful: A simple silver ring like the one back in Aincrad, the only differences being the small ruby on the center, and the engraving along the inside. I couldn't read it from there, but that didn't matter right now.

"You don't _have_ to answer right no-" Kazuto started, but I held my hand in front of his face and shook my head with a smile.

I took a deep breath, and then tried speaking.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo 3rd person

Kazuto saw her space out for a couple of seconds, so as the worst case-scenario passed trough his head, he tried to lessen the pressure on her, getting a reassuring smile and a gesture that said she didn't need it. Then she inhaled deeply and opened her mouth. Absolutely no sound came out. She tried again. This time, her throat emitted a small sound that held absolutely no meaning.

He tried asking her what was wrong, until he saw her taking a small piece of paper and marker from her bag. As she wrote, he looked at her intently, trying to read her expression. What he got was deep concentration, as she was frowning her brow. As she finished her job, she turned the paper around. On it, in her beautiful handwriting, was clearly written:

_-My throat aches, and I can't speak. Maybe because I cried too much. I'll_ _just drink some water. Don't worry, I'll answer your question soon enough-_

He nodded and put the box back in his pocket.

~_~~^O^~~_~~^O^~~_~~^O^~~_~ 5 minutes later ~^O^~~_~~^O^~~_~~^O^~

She was standing in front of Kazuto once again, and he took the box out again. 'This time, this time I'll answer for sure' She reassured herself.

"So, Asuna, would you marry me?" He repeated. Her eyes filled with happy tears once again as she crouched down and somehow squealed out as she launched herself into his arms.

"Yes! Yes, I'll marry you!"

Then, they kissed. It wasn't like the hungry kiss they had earlier. It was sweet and long. While they kissed, Kazuto slowly put the ring on her finger (making sure it was the correct one).

After the kiss, they gazed at each other's eyes and said, almost in sync, **"I love you"**

A couple of minutes later OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Kazuto-kun, I think we should continue our picnic" Asuna pointed out.

"Oh yeah, the picnic... Let's spread the blanket first then" He proposed.

"Mmhmm" Asuna nodded and helped setting their meal.

As they ate, they talked about random topics and laughed, they drank the tea Kazuto brought and conversed about things like their friends and their time after moving together, and yet they never let go of their significant other's hand.

They finished packing up the remainings of their meal and the blanket, and went back home. Sadly, Kazuto still had work to do, so Asuna full-dived to see for a while her little daughter Yui.

In ALO -

As Asuna materialized on top of the bed of her log house, she was surprised to find an asleep black-haired little girl who was cuddling to her. She slightly shook the girl's shoulders to wake her up (which was proving to be a pretty hard task) and sighed when the younger girl slowly opened her dark grey eyes.

"Good morning Yui-chan, did you sleep well?"

"Ah, good morning, Mama" Yui answered sleepily "Any reason you're here this early?"

"Yeah, I have some free time, and I wanted to deliver some good news to you"

"Good news?" The younger girl asked while tilting her head slightly to the side.

"Yeah good news" Asuna reassured the girl and proceed to tell her said news "You see, Yui-chan..."

A couple of minutes later OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Really!? Mama and Papa are getting married _in real life!?_ That's great news!" The young one congratulated her mother and then said "You should call _everyone_ over to tell them the good news!"

"Thanks for the advice, but I think I'll go out with them irl. That way I can show them my ring" Asuna explained "If you want, I can ask Kirito-kun to lend me that device"

"That...device?"

"The one that let's you see, hear and communicate with the real world, so you can also see my ring"

**_"Really!?"_** Yui asked with a glint on her eyes.

"Yeah, Really" Asuna smiled sweetly at her child's behaviour.

"Really really!?" Yui pressed on trying to believe her mother's word "T-then promise me you will!" She said, though a tad hesitatingly.

"Yeah, I promise to ask your father for the device" Asuna said, the smile still adorning her face.

"Thank you very much, Mama!" Yui hugged her mother, almost tackling her to the ground.

"Wow, easy there tiger, or the both of you will fall over" A male voice said suddenly.

The young one's face lit up and released her mother to hug-tackle her father.

"What did I _just_ told you?" He said teasingly, ruffling the young one's hair.

"I don't know, I wasn't paying attention!" Yui said truthfully, making her father sigh in feigned discontent -Yui pouted at that- Then, he turned his attention towards the older female and waved at her.

"Yo, Asuna." He finally said "Have you told her the news yet?"

Asuna was about to speak when little Yui interrupted her.

"The fact that the two of you are getting married? Of course, I'm _your_ daughter after all!" Yui said proudly to her father, getting in exchange a pat on her head

"I guess we just can't hide _anything_ from you, huh?" Kirito raised an eyebrow

"No, you can't, because I'll know sooner or later" Yui said and then, as to change the topic, she jumped on her father and said "I missed you both, you two haven't logged in since the night of the 7th" At that comment, the family shared a small group hug for a while. Asuna then remembered the promise she just made to her daughter.

"Ah Yeah, Kirito-kun?" Asuna said to call the man's attention, succeeding.

"What is it my dear _fiancee_-san?"He said teasingly, also succeeding in making his wife-to-be blush deeply and look away in embarrassment.

"I was just wondering if you could lend me the device you made for Yui tomorrow..." Asuna ventured, trailing off slightly at the end.

"Yeah, why?" He asked, feeling confused.

"I was thinking of telling the girls tomorrow, so I thought I may as well take Yui with me" Asuna explained.

"Okay then, have fun tomorrow, both of you. I still have some work to do, so I'll see you later Asuna, Yui"

Kazuto waved goodbye as he disconnected, leaving both of his girls alone again.

"So..." Asuna ventured in a mischievous tone "How about we have some Mother-daughter quality time, hm? What do you say?"

"Yay!" Yui ran behind Asuna and into their room, to have this "Mother-daughter quality time". Asuna didn't log out until 8:00 o clock.

8:00 o clock OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"So...Do you have free time tomorrow, Li- I mean, Rika-chan...?" Asuna finished in a fluster and waited for her answer.

"Yeah, I do, Why do you ask?" Shinozaki Rika asked in suspicion over Asuna's telephone.

"I see, then, how about we all go out for some tea?" Asuna ventured, crossing the fingers of her free hand in anticipation.

"Okay, then it's settled. I'll ask Keiko if she can go. Can you ask the rest of them?" Rika asked.

"Yeah, just asked Sinonon, she can also go" Asuna informed her best friend.

"Okay then, see you tomorrow!" Asuna smiled at her best friend's cheerful attitude, that refused to disappear even years after she turned 18.

"Bye!" Asuna answered happily and hung up the phone. Then, she dialed Suguha's number and repeated the process with Yulier, Ashley, An Si-eun, Sasha, Argo and Yolko.

Later, as she prepared herself to go to bed, and she put on her sleepwear (that basically consisted of a pink midthigh-length nightgown with grey borders and a small knot of two grey strands of fabric that kept it together), she remembered the time she'd gotten it.

Flashback OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Kazuto had asked her to move in with him two days ago, so she was packing up her stuff for moving in a couple of weeks. Then, she remembered the pink sleepwear she wore in her honeymoon back in SAO, and deciding upon asking someone to recreate it, she called her former SAO friend Ashley.

Ashley used to be a seamstress back in SAO, and she was pretty popular between the female population, as she had maxed out her sewing skill. Nowadays, she was a seamstress who created tailor-made outfits. Then Ashley and Asuna agreed upon a cheap price and decided to sew it together.

The day Asuna moved in Kazuto's house was tiring, and at the night, before going to bed, she put on the pink nightgown and went back to meet Kazuto in their bedroom (they shared it) (A/N But don't misunderstand the meaning of it, they only shared a bed and slept, that's all), and had to stifle a giggle when said young man blushed and looked away from her silhouette, only to keep stealing small glances occasionally.

Flashback OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

She giggled at the thought and laid down in the bed, next to the tired young man who had fallen asleep already, and cuddled up to him until she fell asleep too.

The next day OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Hurry up Mama! I at this pace we will be late!" The high-pitched voice belonging to her daughter came from a device that was secured on her shoulder. Once they'd gotten on the car (with Kazuto driving of course), Yui asked "Can I see it again?"

"Okay, okay" Asuna said dragging her words as she raised her left hand to a level where the young one could see the silver ring that adorned her left hand's ring finger.

"It's so beautiful! It even resembles the one you have in ALO!" Yui pointed out as she examined the engagement ring on her mother's hand. "The ruby on it is new though"

"Yeah, I chose it because red matches pretty nicely with Asuna, doesn't it?" Kazuto commented as he drove closer to their destiny.

"Yeah, now that you mention it, it does" Yui said thoughtfully as the car suddenly fell into an uncomfortable silence.

"I wonder how they'll react to it" Asuna brought up to break the silence "I hope nothing goes wrong"

"Nothing will! I'm sure they'll be really happy!" Yui reassured her mother through the device.

"Yeah, you're right, there's nothing to worry about" Asuna said, half for herself half for Kazuto and Yui.

"We're here. When you finish chatting, call me to come pick you up" Kazuto said as he helped her out of the car

"Okay, see you later, Kazuto-kun!" Asuna waved goodbye as the car slowly disappeared from sight.

Asuna sighed and pushed the door of the cafe open. At the bottom, there was a pretty big table full of young ladies, that had an empty seat. As she slowly approached, she smiled at the big group of good friends she had. Then, one of them looked at her.

"Asuna-san! Over here!" Ayano Keiko AKA Silica said while waving her hand high up in the air.

"Good afternoon everyone" Asuna greeted with her right hand signaling the device as she added "I hope it doesn't bother you, but Yui-chan is joining us today"

"Good afternoon everyone!" The young one said in excitement.

"Yo, Asuna Yui-chan" Rika waved.

After everyone finished their greetings, and enrolled in a casual chat, Asuna then apologized.

"I'm Sorry, to have asked you all out within such a short period of time, I'm glad everyone could make it"

"There's no need to apologize, Asuna-san, after all, it's been quite a while since all of us went out together" Yulier explained while smiling slightly

"Actually, I called everyone out today for a reason." Asuna said, now seriously

"And what would that reason be, Aa-chaN?" Argo, former info broker and beta tester of SAO asked.

"You see,... um...er...I...you...kazukunanIareetingmried" The last sentence was spoken so fast and in such a low tone, that it didn't even made sense.

"Um... excuse me?" Ashley said "We didn't quite get what you are trying to convey"

"KazutoandIaregettingmarried" This time, it did sound like a normal sentence, but it was still too fast for the girls to understand it.

"Wait, wait, wait. Could you please slow down for a bit?" Sasha said confused "Also, you look pretty nervous, do you want something to drink?"

"Yes, a bit of water wouldn't be bad, right, Yui-chan?" Asuna said, still visibly nervous

After the cup of water and a couple of deep breaths, Asuna tried once again

"You see, yesterday, Kazuto-kun asked me out to the sakura tree that is in between the eastern and western gates of the park, and after a couple of events that I wold rather leave out, he started a pretty corny speech, but don't misunderstand, it was really sweet" The group of girls listened intently to the explanation and Rika snickered when Asuna said the last part murmuring something like "Just as you'd expect of him"

"Then, he... er...um... he... I...we..." Asuna stammered, confusing the group of girls "I-I can't say it"

"If you can't say it, then just show _it_ to them"

That murmur that only Asuna could hear came from the small device that was placed on her shoulder. That advice gave her an idea.

She closed her eyes, raised slowly her left hand, and careful not to shout, she announced.

"Kazuto-kun and I are getting married!" Asuna closed her eyes to the unexpected response: A collective gasp.

* * *

Hello everyone, Kitten here with your new chapter. Please remember that writing is pretty hard, and that I update as soon as I can. Now, your trailer/teaser for next chapter:

"Kirito? Is that you?" Sinon carefully asked

"What do you want with Kirito-kun?" Erika asked as she tried to keep her tone cold, edgy and sharp.

"Who are you?"

"My identity is not of your business, now I'll ask again: What do you want with him?" Erika insisted sending a cold glare in Sinon's direction with her deep turquoise eyes.

"It's not of your business!" Sinon hissed and jumped back

"If you're not going to talk, then I'll have to force you!" Erika said as she pulled out her dagger from it's sheath and adopted a fighting position.

"Very well, then I'll kill you!" Sinon answered as she readied an arrow on her bow.

\- I'll just leave it at that. Read ya later!


	3. Doubts raise and Trouble brews

"Kazuto-kun and I are getting married!" Asuna announced this as she showed the silver engagement ring. She closed her eyes as she got the unexpected response: A collective gasp.

This was soon followed by a shower of congratulations, squeals of excitement and hugs. Asuna felt truly blessed as her good friends all happily supported her choice.

Soon, she noticed a person who had congratulated her, yet she didn't seem truly happy. The co-winner of the third Bullet of Bullets: Asada Shino AKA Sinon _"Hecate"*_ the sniper and/or The _Caith Sith*_ archer.

She was smiling of course, but Asuna could tell that the smile she was wearing was fake. Soon she was awakened from her thoughts by a hand landing on her shoulder.

"I bet you'll be a great wife, but don't forget we'll always be there for you" These reassuring words were said by An Si-eun* AKA Shiune, the former healer of the Sleeping Knights guild.

"That's right, and my _Onii-chan*_ really loves you a lot, he's proved that repeatedly until now, right, Asuna-san?" The step-sister/cousin of Kazuto, Kirigaya Suguha AKA Leafa, reassured.

"Don't worry, Aa-chan*, I'm sure you'll both be really happy togetheR."* Argo said smiling widely

"Argo-san is right, you should enjoy yourself more, as you're now getting married to the man you love" Sasha added

"You see, marriage isn't simple, but it's worth it" The only married woman in the group, Yulier, former sub-leader of the Aincrad Liberation Army, said.

All this while, Yui chatted overjoyed with the elder women as they gave out tips and ideas for the wedding that had yet to come.

As they bid their farewells, Kazuto arrived to the front gate and waited for Asuna to come out of the cafe. When she did, he waved at her smiling from the window. She smiled back and walked slowly to the car. Kazuto opened her door from the inside and she got in, waving at her friends who were leaving too.

Back in the apartmentOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"So, how did go?" Kazuto asked as he left his shoes by the door.

"Pretty nicely actually, they were practically squealing in joy" Asuna said giggling, trying to hide and/or forget her earlier concerns.

"Okay, I'll go have a nap, I'm pretty tired from working" He said as he yawned slightly.

"Got it, I'll be baking if you need me." She said brightly, and turned around to the kitchen, while he went the opposite direction: To their bedroom.

Five minutes or so laterOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Asuna almost jumped when Kazuto's phone rang. She was baking cookies, and as far as she knew, they weren't expecting any calls. She was truly confused when she saw the caller ID. It was Shino. When it rang she thought of waking up Kazuto and letting him answer, but when she discovered it was from Shino, she got curious (specially after her weird behaviour back in the cafe). She took the phone from the table, opened it, and answered.

"Kirigaya residence, what can I help you with?" She blushed slightly at her own words, and waited for her answer

_"Moshi Moshi?*_ Kazuto? I need to talk to you in private." Shino said in a hurried tone.

"What for?" She asked, pretty far from the phone so Shino didn't recognize her voice. She knew it was bad to stick her nose in other people's business, but she smelled something fishy, so she kept asking "Is it important?"

"I just need to talk to you in private, I can't tell you this by phone. It's really important. I'll wait for you in Arun's northern terrace in two hours. See you there. Bye"

She decided to keep this a decided eyes from Kazuto, so she erased the call from the history, left the phone were it was, anxiously continued what she was doing earlier, taking small glances to the clock, waiting until the hours passed.

After that, she logged in her second account "Erika", put on a black mantle that covered her body completely, and set off to Arun's northern terrace.

When she arrived, she could see the silhouette of the now experienced Caith Sith archer. She looked worried, as if something was bothering her, then she laid her eyes on Erika's frame and slowly approached her.

"Kirito? Is that you?" Sinon carefully asked, slowly turning around.

"What do you want with Kirito-kun?" Erika asked as she tried to keep her tone cold, edgy and sharp.

"Who are _you?"_

"My identity is not of your business, now I'll ask again: What do you want with him?" Erika insisted sending a cold glare in Sinon's direction with her deep turquoise eyes.

"It's not of your business!" Sinon hissed and jumped back.

"If you're not going to talk, then I'll have to force you!" Erika said as she pulled out her dagger from it's sheath and adopted a fighting position.

"Very well, then I'll kill you!" Sinon answered as she readied an arrow on her bow.

Asuna PoVOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

I used my advantage as a _Sylph,_ to get closer by flying at high speed. I consider this necessary as I'm a close-range weapon user. Sinon's eyes widened and she took a step back and released an arrow. Said arrow went in my direction at a frightening speed, and I barely dodged it.

Said action made me crash against one of the columns that adorned the hall of the terrace. Sinon took this chance and fired another arrow. This one seemed pretty strange. That was when I realized that it's tip was burning, and I tried to move out of the way, failing miserably.

It was a horrible disadvantage: She was firing at me from above, while I was laying on the ground, defenseless, trying to avoid her attacks.

By that point, a flaming arrow hit my right wing, making my desperate attempts to fly, useless.

Then, I stood up, and ran towards her at an incredible speed, worthy of my former SAO nickname _"Senkō"*._

I got close enough to her, and put my dagger to her neck.

"S-strong" She managed to choke out, and followed with "Really, w-who are you?"

"Erika, that's my name" I answered again in a cold and sharp tone.

Then, I took my head out of the hood of the mantle with my free hand

"E-Erika? Your voice and expressions seem pretty familiar to me" Sinon said, trying to fit the scattered pieces in her head. Then she closed her eyes and concentrated.

"Now, you're going to answer me, what did you want wi-" I started, yet I got cut off by a man's voice.

"What the hell is going on in here!?" He looked at the defeated Sinon, then at me "Erika? What do you think you are doing!?"

"Nothing, just getting some answers from a _stray cat_ who just didn't want to cooperate." I replied coldly, trying to look heartless, while pressing the dagger harder against the caith sith girl's neck.

Sinon opened her eyes once again, and looked at the man. "K-Kirito? You came here after all!" She seemed pretty happy about something.

"What are you talking about? I just came here because Yui said Erika here was behaving strangely." He said tilting his head to the left in his confusion.

"You mean you weren't the one who answered your phone?" She said truly shocked "I thought that terminal was yours only!"

I slackened my grip on the girl's neck and yelled at her.

"No, I answered! Kirito-kun here was having a nice nap, after working so hard, so I let him sleep! Also, you acted really out of character during the offline meeting at the cafe, so I thought something might be going on, something I just didn't know about."

Even though my tone was close to a murmur during the last sentence, they understood and nodded for me to finish "I was worried! And something smelled fishy! When I answered that phone I tried to understand your motives, but I just couldn't." Tears were threatening to roll down my face, but I fought, and managed to go through the rest of my speech without trouble "I just wanted answers. And if you weren't going to give them willingly, I was capable of killing you for those."

"What the heck are you saying, Asuna!?" Sinon's eyes widened as my real identity was revealed, but Kirito didn't look like he was finished talking, not just yet "You aren't acting like yourself! Get a grip! You aren't acting like the woman I love!"

At his last comment, I let the tears run freely down my face, yet I kept a straight face.

"If _I _am not the woman you love anymore, then you should just cancel our engagement" As I finished, I opened my main menu and clicked the log out button. Kirito's eyes widened as he processed my words, and he tried to stop me. I showed him a sad smile.

"Wait! Asu-" That was the last thing I heard before disappearing from the terrace, and opening my eyes in reality.

Tears were actually running down my face, and I felt terrible. Yet I decided to do what I _should._

3rd PersonOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Asuna packed everything she needed and everything she could before dressing up to go out, and in a fast motion, getting to the front door.

Then, a warm hand caught her slender wrist and held onto it before she could leave. She knew who it was even before he talked.

"Please, you don't have to do this. Please don't do this to me"

He begged in a pained voice that made her heart feel like it was torn to shreds slowly and painfully.

"Do what, leave? Or let you live your life freely with those little _friends_ of yours?" Somehow she managed to say that in a cold tone.

"Leave me alone, didn't I just told you just how much you meant to me!? Where are you getting those ideas!?" He demanded in a desperate tone "Can't you see I'm suffering too?" She heard a soft sob coming from behind her.

His cool demeanor had broken. He was **crying.** Something he hadn't done since the end of SAO. The only thought of it shocked her. He **never** cried in front of her unless it hurt him too much.

"I-I can't do this, deep down I know that, but I thought, that if you didn't come after me, maybe it'd be _easier,_ yet it'd break my heart! **I love you so much,** that's why it hurts just as much. Maybe our lives would have been easier if you hadn't dragged me out of that dungeon and saved me back then."

Then, Asuna turned around to him. Her lacrimal glands were creating unusual amounts of tears as she sobbed and sobbed in his arms.

When her crying came to a stop, she looked up to face him. He was smiling sweetly at her, but she could see the sadness in his eyes. She could feel it. So she decided to speak up first.

"So...What _now?"_

"Well, you kinda broke up our engagement a while ago, so I don't know either"

She smiled at his antics, he was back to being himself again.

"I'll forgive you, but you have to promise you'll **never** keep something from me again" Or so she offered

"I _really_ don't know what all that was about, care to explain a bit?"

"Okay, it all started when I was baking and your phone rang..."

After the explanationOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"That's what it was? I don't have any idea of what she wanted to say so badly either" Kazuto said.

"Then, it means you didn't know a thing!?" Asuna said in utter shock

At this, he started laughing, with her following soon after.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

**Hecate:** Goddess of the Underworld. Also the name of her weapon in Gun Gale.

**Caith Sith:** Fairy race in Alfheim Online, characterized by their cat ears and tail.

**Onii-chan:** Big Brother. This is how Suguha calls Kazuto.

**Moshi Moshi:** The way people answer by phone, equivalent to a "Hello?"

**Aa-chan:** This is the pet name Argo gave Asuna back in SAO. She calls Kazuto "Kii-bou" or "Kiri-bou". Not my idea.

The capitalizing of the last character of a sentence when Argo speaks: She has some sort of nasal inflection that makes her talk like that. Not my idea either.

**An Si-eun:** Common Korean name.

**Senkō:** Lightning Flash. Asuna's nickname as she had an incredible speed.

* * *

Thanks for reading as always, and please leave a review.

Disclaimer: I don't own Sword Art Online or any of the characters shown in the story.

Read ya later!

-Kitten


	4. Telling the parents

**Hello my buds, it's me, Kitten! I'm Sorry I haven't updated in a while...I want to thank you all for your reviews! Even the negative ones! Well, it certainly is nice to recieved some feedback now and then... **

**DISCLAIMER: Sword art online and it's respective characters all belong to Kawahara Reki-sensei. Except my OCs, my OCs belong to me :3 **

**Well, enjoy!**

**-Your beloved Kitten. **

* * *

**List of my OC:**

**Hiwasawa Misako **

**Hiwasawa Rio **

**Yowasa Rina **

* * *

It was already morning. The sun rays got through the room's glass window and softly caressed their faces. This made the beautiful young lady slowly stir awake and open her hazelnut colored eyes. She then gazed lovingly at the sleeping silhouettes of a black-haired young man and a black-haired little girl, cuddling up to each other. She then gazed at her own appearance. She was wearing the pink nightgown she wore every night, yet something seemed odd, like something was off.  
She hesitantly got up, and looked at herself in the small bathroom mirror. She almost shouted in confusion when she discovered that every detail of her appearance was exactly like her real one, instead of the blue-haired _Undine_ avatar she was used to. She then noticed she wasn't inside her log house of the 22nd floor of New Aincrad, but in the small apartment she and Kazuto moved in together three months ago, in the real world. She then gazed again at her family. They were sleeping like it was totally normal that the young AI was sleeping right next to them, just as they'd dreamed just days ago. She got back to the bed, laid down and started stroking lovingly the younger girl's hair. Then, in a motherly fashion, she hugged the younger girl's body towards herself and sighed in contentment.

_If this is a dream, please let it last **forever.**_

Somewhere else in the vast universeOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo **(A/N: xD)**

He was nervous, he didn't know _why,_ but he was nervous. He took a glance at himself and at his surroundings. He was wearing a black suit, a formal black suit, with a tie. He also noticed that he was standing still with his hands behind his back. He was inside a forest, no doubt about that. He had a priest behind him, and his friends and family were seating at both sides of a path.

Suddenly, everyone raised from their seats . He just stood there dumbfounded, until he noticed the people who were walking towards him, Asuna's father (also in a suit), and a girl, who was wearing a long white wedding dress, and a veil over her face. She looked absolutely stunning, and he caught himself staring. Even through the veil, he noticed the girl was blushing madly. Now he was sure, it was a wedding. And not a normal wedding, _h__is_ wedding with _Asuna__._ He felt the blood raising to his cheeks, and himself releasing a breath he didn't realize he was holding. He then smiled at the girl and waited for her where he stood.

When the veiled girl reached him, he gave her his hand as he marveled at her beautiful chestnut-colored hair, that was tied up in a really complex looking bun.  
Once everything was said, and no more words were needed, he carefully and slowly lifted up the veil that covered his **-now-** wife's face.

_God, if this is a dream, please don't wake me up._

Before he could see his wife's face though, the ground started shaking. He looked towards Asuna in worry and she gave him a reassuring smile and focused on what was happening. In the grounds, visible cracks were creating, and a huge hole was opening from the place the cracks started, and the guests were slowly falling one by one, only getting swallowed by the hole in the ground, not getting noticeably hurt. Asuna covered her mouth with both of her hands, saddened. Then, in an incredible speed, the hole opened up below his wife. She fell, but he caught her hand, and her veil fell down, and disappeared in the infinite void below her. This let him finally see Asuna's face. She looked absolutely beautiful, but he knew that wasn't the time to be thinking about that. He gripped strongly her hand and looked at her.

"You'll be fine, just trust me" He assured her.

She only shook her head from side to side, and then looked up at him, showing him a sad smile. Then, her lovely voice sweetly -yet a tad sadly-, said.  
"At this rate, the both of us will fall down" She then looked elsewhere.

"Then let that happen! I'm not letting you go" He said, desperately for some reason.

Her eyes widened as she looked across the hole, to an specific spot.

"Mother! Father! Watch out!" She cried out, a second too late. Her parents, not having heard their daughter's warning, fell to the hole too, without someone to help them up. "No! This isn't happening! Not today, THIS ISN'T HAPPENING TODAY!" She let out a loud cry (Like the one in episode 14 before Kirito started the duel with Heathcliff) and wept for her parents. When she finished crying, she remembered what she was warning him about.

"At this pace we'll both die! Let go of my hand, run and be saved, please!" She begged, tears still marring her features and falling into the almost infinite void that only seemed to go deeper below her. She then waited for an answer.

"Don't say that! I promise I'll help you up, nothing will get on our way. We'll be together forever!"

"I love you Kazuto-kun, please don't forget that" She said, looking directly at his eyes, and pronouncing those same words she said back in SAO, in the boss room of the 75th floor** "I'm** **sorry, goodbye"** She said, a stray tear running down her face before she let go of his hand. "Asuna!" He said his eyes widening in worry and shock.

The hole in the ground closed up, a drop of his beloved one's blood over his cheek.

Then, he sat on the bed, drenched in sweat. This sudden movement seemed to have caught off guard the person sleeping next to him (A/N: To be accurate, cuddling up to him), as she then opened slowly her eyes, and rubbing the sleep out of her left eye with the side of her hand, and sat up next to him. "Is something the matter, Kazuto-kun?" The feminine voice asked, visibly drowsy.

He didn't answer, he just hugged her tightly and hid his face in her hair, smelling it's fragrance and telling himself that what he just saw was a nightmare, and his present was real.

"Are you okay?" She asked, this time a little bit softer.

"No, I swear I just saw you die" He stated, his tone still a bit shaky after what he saw "But now I know it was just a nightmare, I hate those" He said, flashing his best smile towards her. However, it was false, and she could see right through it.

"Was it so bad?" She tried.

He gave up in trying to hide the information from her.

"Yeah, it was really creepy" He said, hugging her tighter, this time towards his chest. She blushed slightly at the contact, and stopped asking. Instead, she reassured him.

"I'm here, it was just a nightmare. Everything you saw was false, I'm alright. We're alright."

A couple of minutes later, after he calmed down, they lied back down and looked at each other.

"We should go back to bed, it's still 2 am Hun." She said before adding "And I was having this beautiful dream in which Yui was right here with us" She sighed, yet again, this time in discontent. "U-um sorry to have disturbed you right at the middle of the night." He said sheepishly. "Don't worry, it's not like I have any important appointment today" She said, but then widened her eyes in realization "But, we're telling our respective parents about our engagement tonight"

"Okay, I get it, now get back to sleep" He said, then yawned and hugged her.

" 'Kay, good nights Kazuto-kun. I love you" She said, blushing slightly and cuddling up to him.

"I love you too, Asuna" He said, kissing the top of her head and drifting off.

In the morningOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

12/15/2029

three days after the proposal

9:00 am

"Wakey wakey, Hun"

The mentioned just groaned, pulled the blanket over her head, and turned her back to him. Kazuto sighed. She _never_ acted like that (more like she woke him up in the morning). 'Maybe she didn't get enough sleep' He thought. He then proceed to get inside the covers with Asuna, and hug her. He then caressed her arm, followed by caressing her neck softly. She then stirred awake and slowly opened up her amber colored eyes, and smiled sweetly at him.

"Good morning, Kirito-kun" Asuna greeted a little too softly. He then noticed the pinkish hue that crossed her cheeks and her slightly laboured breathing. These could perfectly be signs of the girl's embarrassment, so he pressed his forehead to hers.

Kazuto separated their foreheads in a quick motion when he felt her skin. He then proceed to ask some questions. "Asuna-san, are you feeling alright?" He said slowly "No, my head feels like it has been bashed against a wall repeatedly and my body feels heavy. I am also pretty cold." She said, slowly rubbing her hands against her forearms.

"Are you feeling hungry?" He asked again, carefully as not to worsen her headache. "No, I actually feel like I could just throw up yesterday's dinner at any given moment " She said closing her eyes and furrowing her brow slightly. "My headache is back"

He tried to think of a way of curing her sudden discomfort. After that he remembered that today he was free of work and other everyday occupations. He would take care of her.

Half an hour laterOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

He gave her a painkiller for her headache, and she was bathing to relieve a bit of her fever. He was calling somebody over so she could help.

"Moshi moshi? Onii-chan? Do you need something from me?" The muffled voice asked from his terminal. "That's right, you see..."

After a long and very detailed explanation of the girl's symptoms, Suguha agreed to come over and help take care of her. She was pretty busy at the moment, so she would arrive three hours later.

"Why did you leave me by myself?" She asked, her shoulders shaking slightly. He thought she may be crying, but when she lifted her pouting face, he noticed she was just sulking. Then she curiously asked.

"What happened in the last week? I can't seem to remember them well, specially the day before yesterday." She looked at him, worried "Did something happen to make me forget all that?"

"W-well, if you haven't noticed the ring on your left hand, we're now engaged, and yesterday you told the girls." He stammered a bit in the beginning, but managed the rest of the sentence. She nodded, unfazed by the news. Then, she widened her eyes and covered her mouth with her hands, thus losing her balance. He stopped her fall by catching her, but it seemed she hadn't rested enough, as she fainted right then and there.

When she woke up, half an hour later, the first question she asked was "Why did you bring me back here? We were having a serious conversation!" Sadly, her tone of voice sounded so tired, that it didn't sound serious at all. Yet, he decided to keep playing along for a bit.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, but, isn't lying down in the bed more comfortable than standing up in the hallway?"

"W-well, I'm not saying that y-you're wrong or anything, and I don't have anything against lying in bed, but-"

"No buts, you just admitted your mistake. No need to push this topic any further." He stated in a way she couldn't refuse. She pouted and muttered something inaudible. "Well, now that we're here, how about going back to sleep?" She proposed.

"No, you go back to sleep, I'll be in the living room if you need me" He answered "And no buts, you're sick and you need to rest. Call me if you need anything" He said, getting up and going into the hallway.

"You're so dense, Kazuto-kun" She repeated, this time a little louder because he couldn't hear her words. "I wanted you to stay here with me" She sighed. "May as well get some sleep" She said to herself, closing her eyes.

With Kazuto OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo 3rd person.

" _*sigh*_ What's taking Sugu so long?" He asked to no one in particular. "Whatever, I'll just cook some broth for her and take her a glass of water"

He prepared said dish, and filled a glass with lukewarm water. He took it to the room in a tray, and slowly pushed the door open. "Asuna, you awake?" He asked, receiving no answer from the 22-year-old. He left the tray at the nightstand and went over to the bed. He sat on the edge and looked at her sleeping. He lightly shook her shoulder. "Asuna, wake up. You must eat something" He tried

"Asuna?" Still no answer. He checked her pulse. It was slow and quiet. He got worried, so he shook both her shoulders harder. She still didn't answer. Her breathing was also getting more laborious. He changed her into a dress, changed himself into street clothes and called an ambulance.

Five minutes later, the ambulance arrived, and the paramedics got her inside, Kazuto following closely and sitting next to the bed. Once they reached the hospital, they quickly got her inside a room, closing the doors immediately after. This left Kazuto pacing around in worry while the rest of the people in the waiting room stared at him, dumfounded. The person who would be sitting next to him -if he wasn't walking around-, asked him in a confused tone.

"Is something the matter, Onii-san?" The tone was high-pitched as the owner was a short and young blue-haired girl.

"Everything," He stated firmly at the girl "My fianceé is inside that room and I don't have any idea of what's happening inside" He said, feeling really impotent.

"Well, my older sister is getting a c-section right now" She answered looking really saddened.

"I'm sorry to hear that. What's your name?"

"Misako, Hiwasawa Misako, and yours Onii-san?" Misako asked softly.

"Kazuto, Kirigaya Kazuto. You can call me any way you want" Kazuto offered.

"Okay, Kazu-san!" Misako said.

The long while was spent by both of them chatting amicably. He discovered the young girl was 15 years old and that her sister's name was Hiwasawa Rio, and that she was pregnant with identical twins (She was 24 weeks 6 daysu far and her due date was in a week). He told the girl some details of his life including his life with Asuna, their plans of telling her parents about their engagement, etcetera.

"You seem like a great guy, I'm sure Asuna-nee-san is really lucky" She said, a wide grin adorning her face. Her short and curly hair making her look all the more adorable. He smiled back and shook his head.

"I'm the lucky one, she's just so beautiful and kind" He said remembering her.

"Do you have a picture of her, Kazu-san?" Misako inquired.

"Yeah, I do have one." He said, showing a picture of the said chestnut haired lady in their picnic. (The one where he proposed)

"Ah! So pretty! Just like a fairy!" She expressed in awe.

"Like a fairy? Have you ever seen a fairy?" He asked dumbfounded.

"No, but I play with Onee-chan this game where you can fly, being a fairy" She said, her eyes still on the picture.

"You mean ALO?" Kazuto asked.

"Yes! How did you know?"

"Asuna and I play it very often"

"Really? Maybe someday we can make a party and grind in New Aincrad!" She said, gleeful.

"Yeah, if I may ask, what's your character's race?"

"It's named Yusa, a blonde Caith Sith, and yours?"

"It's Kirito, a black-haired Spriggan"

Just when she was about to answer, he then remembered.

"Oh God, I should call Asuna's parents!" His eyes widened and he quickly called the Yuuki residence.

"Yuuki residence, Sada here."

"May I talk with Yuuki Shouzou-san?"

"Okay, please wait a second" Sada-san stated "What's your name, young man?"

"Kirigaya Kazuto"

"Okay" A couple of seconds later, the voice of Asuna's father was heard through Kazuto's terminal.

"Kirigaya-kun? Is something the matter" He asked in his usual tone of voice.

"Shouzou-san, I'm here with Asuna in the hospital. I'm afraid she might be sick. She wouldn't wake up earlier so an ambulance brought her here, still unconscious."

"Okay, Thanks for telling me this, Kirigaya-kun. We'll be there in a couple of minutes." After he said that, he hung up.

Then, a nurse came out and asked "May I ask who is 'Kazuto-kun'?"

"Oh, that would be me" He stated rather calmly. "What is it?"

"Our patient Yuuki Asuna-san has been calling for you since she woke up a couple of minutes ago."

"Is she alright? Can I see her?" He asked, relieved.

"Yeah, that's where I was getting at. You can see her now"

"Thank you very much." He said walking towards Asuna's room. He looked over his shoulder, to Misako who was smiling at him "See you, Misako-chan. Good luck to you and your sister!"

"Yeah, likewise, Goodbye Kazu-san!"

He then turned to the door of the room. He slowly turned the handle and got in with a soft 'Excuse me' There, sitting up in the bed, was Asuna eating from a tray on her lap.

"Kazuto-kun!" She said, extending her left hand towards him.

"Asuna" He breathed out, taking her hand in both of his.

"Ahem" The doctor cleared her throat, as to express her presence in the small hospital room.

"Oh, sorry sensei. Is everything alright with Asuna?"

"Yeah, just something small. But that's nothing to worry about now. My name is Rina, Yowasa Rina."

"Nice to meet you, Yowasa-sensei. What's this small thing you're talking about? And What's with the secrecy about it's danger right now?"

"You two, go by my office after she is released. I'll tell you then."

With that, Rina walked out of the room leaving them alone. After that, three silhouettes entered the room.

"Asuna?" The youngest of the three asked. He was a tall, brown-haired young man. He looked just like a mix between Shouzou and Kyouko, who were just behind him.  
"Nii-sama!" Asuna almost shouted, but kept her tone at level (Still showing her excitement).

After hugs and such, Kazuto's family also arrived. And silently deciding to do it before their friends came in.

"Um...Midori-san, Minetaka-san, father, mother, Nii-sama, Suguha-chan, Kazuto-kun and I have something really important to tell you..." Asuna started, trailing off. Suguha smiled in understanding and winked in her direction.

"You see,...Asuna and I are getting married!" Kazuto stated, nervous. This was soon followed by blessings, congratulations, hugs, tears and joy. Heck, even Kyouko hugged Kazuto.

Later, after they left, the couple shared a kiss and waited for Asuna to be released.

* * *

**Well, hope you enjoyed. If you want something to happen in the story, PM me about it, I'm open to ideas.**

**Read&amp;Review, and read u next time. See ya buds!**

**-Kitten **


	5. Undeniable Truth and Undying Love

**Yo buds, Kitten here with a new chapter of "Sword Art Online: The After Story"**

**Urgent notice! (Well, not so urgent, but if you want to understand the story, you'd better read this)**

**You see, this story will be divided into several arcs, form which 2 arcs are already in progress...The first (and main) arc, will occupy all of:**

**-Asuna's pregnancy.**

**-Kazuto and Asuna's engagement.**

**-Kazuto and Asuna's marriage.**

**-A little epilogue of the first arc with a tiny spoiler for the second.**

**And the second arc will occupy... just kidding, no spoilers. Well, Thanks for reading this small notice if you did, and read you down there!**

**DISCLAIMER: SAO and it's characters belong to Kawahara Reki-sensei and his associates. I don't own any of this, except the OCs listed below. BTW, Why do a DISCLAIMER if it's pretty obvious we don't own it, that's the reason all of us, the reason why we're here in the first place, _right? _Well, Whatever. Enjoy buds!**

* * *

**OC list!**

**Yowasa Rina**

**Masato Karin (Karin-sensei)**

**Hiwasawa (Soon may be refered to as Kaito Rio) Rio**

**Kaito Satoru (Yet to appear)**

**Hiwasawa Misako**

***** **Hanako (yet to appear)**

**↓These guys are Twins, _Hanako is older by 60 minutes, but Haruto is taller_↑**

***** **Haruto (yet to appear)**

* * *

**_Truth,_** a simple word that holds a meaning _so_ deep, more than I can possibly tell. Truth can also be dark, simple and/or realistic. It just depends on what kind of meaning it holds for the person. Truth can hurt, injure, kill humans, cause and even foretell disaster or crisis. Truth can place the future of someone in another person's hands. The two of them would learn that soon enough.

_**(A/N: Sorry for the drama buds!)**_

After Asuna was released from the hospitalOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_10/16/2029_

_four days after the proposal_

_10:00 am_

Kazuto was walking side by side with his lover, chatting while they walked slowly to the office of the doctor who took care of Asuna's earlier discomfort (Yowasa Rina-sensei).

"Thanks for taking care of me back at home, Kazuto-kun." The girl said while hiding her evident blush.

"You're very welcome Asuna, at you service" He answered, smiling sweetly towards her.

"Hah! It's the beautiful lady from the picture!" A not-so-young voice (yet high-pitched), eagerly said "That means...Kazu-san!"

After that small shout of happiness, a young blue-haired teenager ran towards Kazuto and hugged him happily.

"What's with sudden happiness rush, Misako-chan?" He asked mockingly to the short-haired girl who almost reached Asuna's shoulders in terms of height.

"Onee-chan has finished giving birth, and she is okay! A-and the twins! They are still pretty small, but they are really healthy for their size!" The blue-haired girl, no identified as Misako, answered, then looking towards Asuna "Then you are Asuna-nee-san!"

She then hugged Asuna and eagerly shook her hand "I've been wanting to meet you since Kazu-san told me about you!"

"Kazu...san?" Asuna asked confused, looking between Misako and Kazuto.

"Yeah! _Your fiance!"_ She exclaimed, signaling towards the silver ring that Asuna wore in her left hand.

Asuna blushed at the girl's comment, but brushed it off.

"So, where are the two of you heading?" The blue-head asked.

"Well, you see, we have to go see the doctor who cared for Asuna. That's Why we're heading for her office" Kazuto explained.

"Okay then, see you later, Asuna-nee-san, Kazu-san!" She waved her hand, and disappeared into the crowd of patients.

"Well, shall we go?"

"Yes, we should. Or we'll be late" Asuna answered.

Inside the doctor's officeOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo Asuna's PoV.

"Please take a seat. Now that the results for the tests we made have arrived, I can tell you for sure Asuna's condition." Yowasa-sensei told us.

Both of us sat down on a couch in front of Yowasa-sensei, and she began.

"Let's see..." She said checking the pages of some report of the sorts. "There seems there's nothing wrong with your health. You only caught a cold, and fainted right after...twice right?"

After saying that, she took note of it. Kazuto-kun and I exchanged looks of relief and I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding.

"However, you may want to take more care of your health" Rina-sensei explained sternly.

"Why is that, sensei?" I inquired truly confused.

_"Oh?_ You don't know?" Yowasa-sensei asked seeming truly shocked for the first time since we met, yesterday.

"Know what, sensei?" Kazuto-kun asked, now worried.

"It seems I can't explain it very well, so I'll bring someone who can explain this phenomenon better than me. You two should wait for me here." She said before leaving the both of us alone.

I couldn't think straight. Something was wrong with me and we knew it. I was so spaced out worrying, that I didn't realize when sensei returned, someone unknown to me trailing behind her.

"Kirigaya-kun" The woman nodded her head towards him.

"Karin-sensei?" Kazuto-kun asked in shock.

"I see you _do_ remember me." The lady said showing a small grin.

"How could I _ever_ forget about you? You're the one who is helping us with _that_ project"

"Which project?" Rina-sensei asked, and he jumped when he heard her.

"W-well you see, Karin-sensei here _used to be_ a good friend of my mother." He said looking down for a second. "And she is a biologist. S-so together with Rinko-sensei, we're working on a project that consists in bringing Yui here, to the real world."

"Hm...And Why such a project would _need_ a biologist?"

"Because, we're going to bring her the hard way, so she has a flesh body, rather than a mechanical one" Kazuto answered simply.

Now that I remember, they did something to my body after telling me about it...M-maybe it's going to work? They never really told me the details, so I'm not sure what kind of procedures they used. I just trusted blindly in them, because Kazuto agreed wholeheartedly (more like he got the idea to do it it the first place), so...I'm not sure about what could have gone wrong with the first stage of the experiment.

"-una-san! Asuna-san!" The biologist woke me up from my distracting thoughts.

"Yeah?" I answered as normally as I could.

"I was asking if you would like to know what happened!" Karin-sensei answered, clearly annoyed.

"O-ok, thank you sensei. I'm sorry."

"Geez, you act just like _Mr. Daydreamer_ here" she said, motioning exaggeratedly towards Kazuto-kun.

Kazuto scratched the back of his head sheepishly while apologizing too.

"Well, do you want to know or not?" She asked us. We both nodded at the same time, and she began. "You know that at the beginning of the experiment, we started procedures with Asuna-san, right?"

We nodded again. My head started to turn around.

"Then, you should also know that the chances of failure were really high at the moment, right?"

I nodded once again, feeling every time even more dizzy.

"Well, it worked!" She said enthusiastically.

I smiled at her, and noticed Kazuto-kun was making a weird and unreadable expression.

"Well, congratulations, Asuna-san!"

"Congratulations for what?"

"Oh right you don't know...How can I say this in the _least_ shocking way possible...Hmm... Aha!" She exclaimed, after a small while "You see, Asuna-san, you are pregnant with the fertilized ovule that we implanted, so that means Kirigaya-kun and you will be reunited with your child **in nine months!"** She explained.

But I heard nothing of it. My head was sinking in that simple sentence 'You're _pregnant!'._ I was burning it in my mind, understanding the real meaning of it. _I_was pregnant with a child, a baby girl to be exact, that would grow up to be Yui. That child was going to have Yui's memories when she was born.

The mere thought of it made me glad, joyful, scared and doubtful. All at the same time. But overall, betrayed, 'Why didn't Kazuto-kun tell me this was how it was gonna happen? Didn't he trust _enough_ in me? Maybe he thought I'd reject immediately the idea?' I got rid of those negative thoughts and decided to confront him once we were back home.

"See you then, Karin-sensei!" Kazuto called to the red-head.

"Ah, see you, Kirigaya-kun, Asuna-san!" Sensei called back.

The drive home was quiet. None of us spoke. It was a comfortable silence actually, it was like no words were needed, it was relaxing.

Once we got home, we sat down in the couch and my eyes started to water unconsciously.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo3rd Person.

"So, what should we g-" Kazuto widened his eyes at the sight of Asuna sobbing "Asuna! Are you Okay?" He asked, visibly worried.

"No, I'm definitely not _'okay'._ How could you hide such an important detail from me!?" Asuna said, tears rolling down her face.

"I-I was scared. I t-thought you may just reject the idea, a-and I-I am sorry. I know I should have told you. I was just scared. Sorry." He said, stuttering at the beginning, yet calming down eventually.

"B-but, why did you hide the fact that I'd have to carry this child in a normal pregnancy? I j-just...I- this so unfair!" She said, covering her face with her hands "You know I can't stay mad with you if you apologize like that, I-I just can't! You know why!?" She paused after the wide-eyed young man and continued. "Because I love you idiot! I love you so much, that it hurts to see you like this! I don't want you to tell me that it'll be alright! I just want you to hold me and to never lie or hide things from me! Am I asking for too much!?"

"No, you aren't. I'm an idiot alright. You know I've never had a good manage of words. But, I-I love you too, I- is it alright if I just _show_ you?" Asuna nodded once, her tear-stained eyes, red and puffy from the crying.

After her agreement, Kazuto cupped her cheeks in his hands, and captured her lips in a tender, yet deep kiss, filled with his feelings and thoughts. His hands grabbed firmly her waist, while hers grabbed the nape of his neck and pulled him towards her.

No words were needed, they just conveyed their feelings in a sweet kiss, that left them satisfied with their answers.

The next dayOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_10/17/2029_

_Five days after the proposal_

_9:00 am_

The sunlight was sliding through the window and softly brushing on the young man's face. He then stirred awake and opened his eyes. When he turned around to greet his fianceé, he was surprised with...nothing, just the empty covers.

"Asuna? Where are you?" He called out, listening attentively in case she answered. The response to his question wasn't verbal, he smelled something, and it was definitely Asuna's cooking.

"Asuna?" He called out again, this time from the hall.

"Hmm? Ah, 'Morning Kazuto-kun" The chestnut-haired young lady in front of him answered.

"Why are you up this early? Sensei said you should-"

"-take care of my health, I know...That's Why I woke up first." She interrupted Kazuto.

"Why is that?" He asked dumbfounded.

"You'll see, you'll see...Now, go wash up!" She commanded.

"Yes m'am!" He answered enthusiastically.

After washing up and returning to the table, he noticed quite more fruits in the meal, and in lunch, he noticed a bigger amount of vegetables and greens.

"Now I get you!" He answered as he was eating a potato salad. "So, did you wake up on your own? I don't recall hearing an alarm."

"A-actually no, I didn't. Morning sickness woke me up" She answered, looking away.

"Morning sickness...? So it has started already huh?" She nodded.

"Okay! In that case..." He raised from his seat as he finished eating and crouched next to her.

Then, he grabbed her upper body with a hand (under her arms), and put the other one under her legs (She squeaked at this), after that, (and After Asuna put her hands around his neck), he went down the hallway and put her back inside the covers. When she was lying down, she was blushing to the roots of her hair.

"W-what was that for?" She asked.

"If you woke up too early, then you gotta have enough rest. So, take a small nap." He answered simply and covered her up to the chin with the bed's sheets.

"O-okay then. Thank you" After her small words of gratitude, she closed her eyes and drifted off.

"Have a good rest, Asuna-san" Kazuto said smiling sweetly. He then got to work.

A couple of weeks laterOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_10/30/2029_

_18 days after the proposal_

_6:32 am_.

"Hmm?" After making this incomprehensible sound, the young lady stirred awake and fluttered her eyes open. She looked around herself. She was lying down on the bed Kazuto and her shared, the covers were up to her shoulders, and her hair was sprawled on the pillow.

She the raised her upper body, and put a hand to her forehead. She was feeling really dizzy, and the nausea wasn't helping in the slightest. She quickly got to her feet, and ran towards the bathroom.

While this happened, a certain young man was doing some paperwork about his new project, when he heard the bathroom door open, and a sound that could only mean Asuna was throwing up. He ran towards the bathroom.

When he got inside, Asuna was still throwing up. He kneeled next to her, took her hair out of her face, and rubbed her back in a soothing motion.

This kept going for a couple of minutes. Then, she raised her face and looked at Kazuto. She looked really pale, like she could pass out at any given moment. Her normally clean and shiny hair, looked opaque and lifeless at her sides. Her normally shining beautiful eyes, looked tired and sleepless. She was a disaster, yet to him, 'She's still as charming as ever'. And that was the truth, because, even if she looked sickly, she was grinning slightly, her eyes still had a glint of life, and her hair looked as soft as always. He smiled back and helped her up, he aided her in washing her teeth and rinsing her mouth, then carried her back into the bedroom. He then pulled the covers over her chin and started a small chat.

"So, I know you've already slept plenty, and that you don't want to go back to sleep. So, how about we talk for a while?"

"Hmm!" She hummed in affirmation, and nodded.

"What do you want to talk about then?" He asked as he sat on the border of the bed.

"H-how about we talk about our wedding plans?" She asked timidly.

"Ok, but how about you talk about arrangements and such with the girls, and we just talk about details we'd like to have that day?"

"Okay! Then, first than nothing, I want it to be _before_ my due date"

"Why is that?" He asked in confusion.

"B-because, I want Yui-chan to be born in a comfortable setting: Married parents and a nice apartment to live in. One is already done, but I really want to get married before she's born" Asuna said, caressing her abdominal zone, that was slightly inflated.

"I see...now that I think about it, do you remember the time when the procedure was done?"

"Yeah, but I can't quite remember when it was..." Asuna trailed off and smiled "Do you?"

"Of course! What kind of a father would I be if I didn't keep count on my fiancee's pregnancy? You are 10 weeks and 3 days so far, which means, three months, and you're still at the first trimester." He explained.

"It sounds kinda weird when you put it like that... By the way, _WOW_ you made some investigation I see" She teased.

"It's not my fault we couldn't make so much of a progress on the wedding plans. That's Why I called Rika and the girls over. They will stay here tonight and I'll stay in the studio. Don't worry, I'll sleep in the guest room." He said, ignoring her teasing, and adding the last sentence before she could argue, or open her mouth.

"Okay, Thanks Kazuto-kun!" Asuna said opening her arms wide.

Kazuto happily hugged her and when they parted from the hug, they pecked shortly on the lips. Then, he got to eye level with her by kneeling on the floor.

"Now, get a bit of sleep before they get here, they are _sure_ to make a fuss when you tell them" He smiled at her, and left the room.

"Love you, Kazu-kun" She said before he was out of earshot.

"Ah, love you too Hun" He answered looking behind his shoulder before turning around again and leaving.

* * *

**Okay buds, this is all. Sorry for misspelled words or grammatical mistakes, 'cause English is not my _forte_ (It is, but it's my second language).**

**Read&amp;Review. Favorite&amp;Follow if you like, an Pm me if you have any petition for the main arc (This one) Hope you enjoyed, and read ya next time! Cya!**

**-Kitten**


	6. Eternal love against fate's odds

**Kay people, believe it or not, Kitten is back with another chapter of Sword art Online: The after Story. No comments. I'm sorry I don't have a perfect balance in my updates. Longest chapter till now! ╰（￣▽￣）╭**

**DISCLAIMER: Sword Art Online and it's characters all belong to Reki-sensei. The only things I own are my OCs.**

* * *

**Yowasa Rina. **

**Masato Karin **

**Hiwasawa Misako **

**Hiwasawa Rio (all of these)**

**Kaitou Haruto (OC people )**

**Kaitou Hanako (will appear )**

**Kaito Satoru (in the next arc)**

* * *

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_10/30/2029_

_18 days after the proposal _

_15:00_

Feminine giggling was echoing across the bedroom. Inside, there was a group of young women, some where tall, some where short, some where chubby (For example in this occasion, Asuna), and some where thin. They were a really big group, they barely fit in the matrimonial bed that adorned the room. On it, most of the women were sitting and a chestnut-haired lady was lying down. Her hair, that went by her knees, was fitted snugly in a braid that reached her hips, lying right next besides her. You could hear their chuckles and laughs from the other rooms, which made a certain black-haired young man, smile tenderly.

"So, Asuna, how have the things with Kazuto developed like?" Rika asked, a slight bit of teasing present in her voice.

At this comment, Asuna remembered the cares Kazuto had taken for her. Including the cooking and making the chores for her -even if it slowed his work-, and the bridal carrying, (which she secretly enjoyed), and blushed deep crimson. She also looked away, to Sinon, who seemed pretty happy for some reason, so she wasn't really paying attention to her friend's craziness.

"Oh? Struck a chord there didn't I? So...I guess they _are_ really nice" She said, this time more teasingly.

"Hahaha!" The young girl laughed "Asuna-san, you should just see your face! It's _so_ flushed" Suguha finished.

"Stop mocking me! That's not it at all, he has only taken care of me because of my physical condition: I don't get enough sleep so I'm always sleepy, my back is really killing me-" She began, but she was interrupted by Rika.

"Hmm?" Rika hummed, this time even more teasingly "Insomnia, backaches...Could you possibly be...ya know _pregnant_ with _his_ child?" She asked, smirking, then she added "In which case, it's _his_ fault!"

"O-of course not! If it's somebody's fault, then it's _mine_ for trusting blindly!" She spat out, then put her hands over her mouth.

"E-eh!?" This collective shout shook the bedroom, if not the whole apartment.

"A-Asuna-san is p-p-pregnant!?" Suguha and Keiko cried out in unison. "Impossible!"

Asuna's bangs fell in front of her face, forming a curtain that shadowed her expression, making it unreadable.

"G-get _out"_ She muttered, and they didn't hear her.

"What was that?" Keiko asked, getting closer.

"Get out of my room. And don't come back in until you _accept_ reality!"

All of the women got outside of the room, and waited in the living room for the moment the chestnut-haired woman calmed down. That moment never did come, instead, a loud thump was heard across the house. After that, hurried footsteps were heard after a cry ("Asuna!?")

"I told you not to get up..." He said, entering the living room with the lady in his arms. "Just look what happened, I'd better call sensei."

"Sensei?" His younger sister asked, dumbfounded.

"Yowasa-sensei, she is in charge of Asuna's health through the process..." He said trailing off.

"Through what process exactly...?" Sasha asked, just as confused as everyone else.

"Um...er...How to explain it...in the most normal way...Ah! First we need to lay down Asuna on her bed, I'll be back in a second!" He said, setting his steps towards the bedroom, and after a couple of muffled sounds from the inside, back towards the living room.

"So, back to the matter at hand..." She made some gestures with her hands motioning him to continue.

"Well, generally speaking, Asuna's pregnancy" He stated matter-of-factly while raising his index finger.

"So she was telling the truth..." Keiko said, lowering her head in shame.

"I have to go now Onii-chan or Nagata-kun is going to get worried, say Sorry to Asuna-san for me 'Kay?" Suguha (as if it wasn't obvious enough), stated when she raised from her seat "See ya!"

After that, she left the house. After 5 minutes of the most simple explanation of Asuna's condition, most of the girls needed to leave, staying only Shino and Kazuto in the living room.

"I see, so you have a pretty interesting project there, huh?" Shino asked friendly, and that was followed with an uncomfortable silence. By the lack of a proper topic of conversation, Kazuto asked.

"We're in private now, so what did you want to tell me last week?"

"Um? Ah! You see Kiri- no, Kazuto...I have always, since that day back in the BOB in GGO...I-I like you!" She muttered in a voice that was loud enough for him to hear.

Then, she took his lips in a forced, hungry kiss. After that, the sound of glass breaking against the floor was heard, and the two parted.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

I woke up in my room, 'Ah, I fainted' I thought.

My head was spinning, and my throat was feeling really dry, so I decided to get a cup of water. Ignoring the chat that was occurring in the living room right then,I slipped into the kitchen. I got the cup and filled it with water, like I would normally do, and then, when I was going back to the bedroom through the hall, I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw what was happening in the sofa: Shino was on top Kazuto, kissing him, and he was touching her breasts fiercely, almost as if he was pushing her breasts against her own body.

My heart felt like it was shattered slowly and painfully, piece by piece, being replaced by mere nothingness. I quickly ran to the doorstep, ignoring their words, I grabbed my shoes (I was already dressed in a very pretty baby blue Sundress), and ran out of the door. I stopped the first cab I saw, and told him the address of my parent's house.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

My heart sank when I heard the sound of glass shattering, I quickly pushed Shino off me (I was already trying, but she was strong, so it just looked like I was playing with her chest), and ran off towards Asuna.

"Asuna! This is a misunderstanding!" I shouted, but it fell on deaf ears, she just grabbed her shoes, and wandered out of the apartment complex.

I ran behind her, but when I was about to reach her, she got in a cab and set off towards somewhere far, I didn't know where, but I knew she wanted distance, so she probably left for somewhere far from this prefecture.

* * *

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Asuna was outside her parent's house, shivering in the cold. 'Damn I didn't bring my jacket with me' She mentally cursed and rubbed her forearms to get some warmth.

She rang the bell, and waited outside, still trembling.

"What may I- Ojou-sama!? What are you doing out here? Come in, come in!" Sada-san ushered her inside, and covered her with a blanket that used to be hers.

"You've grown quite a lot miss, you're also pretty chubby, so watch out how many snacks you eat!" She scolded and then smiled sweetly. "Your parents are outside working, so... want a cup of tea?"

"Yeah thanks, by the way, I'm not fat, I'm eating healthily. It's another matter I'll talk to you about once my family is back." Asuna explained. "How about we chat for a while? We have a lot to catch up on"

...

"Ah? So you're retiring this year?" Asuna asked the housekeeper with surprise.

"Yeah, I'm getting pretty old, I even got permission from your parents Kyouko-sama was like 'It's alright, it has been a long while since you started working for us, and you deserve to rest' or something like that." The woman said smiling tenderly.

"Hmm, you know? Ive also got good news for you, Sada-san" Asuna said, excited to tell the woman in front of her the news.

_"Oh?_ And what news would that happen to be?"

"I'm getting married" She said, showing her ring.

That made her remember the scene Kazuto was putting up with Shino in the living room of their apartment. She smiled bitterly, making it look as happy as possible.

"Congratulations" The woman said hugging her, before examining the young girl's face. "But you don't seem so happy about it, now do you? Come on, tell me what's wrong"

"You see, Sada-san...I think my fiance was cheating on me"

"Why do you think that? Kirigaya-san was always really attentive to everything you needed or wanted"

"This afternoon, after I woke up from a nap, I got into the kitchen, and when I came back out, he was kissing Shino-san, and touching her, specifically in her chest" Asuna flatly explained. She didn't want to talk about this.

"Hmm that's a good reason to believe that...So, have you asked him about that?" The woman asked, thinking of the best advice she could give the young lady.

She blushed and looked away.

"No, I haven't. I just ran out of the apartment, and came here in the first cab I saw. I even forgot my jacket." Asuna looked down.

"Then, tomorrow, you can go back and ask him. If he seems sincere about being innocent, believe him, but if he seems fidgety and too nervous, he's probably lying. There's also the outcome where he tells you he did it on purpose and he is sincere. With how things are now, anything could happen" Sada explained sternly

"Okay, so may I spend the night here?" Asuna asked the older lady.

"Ask your parents, this is their house" She smiled.

Then, they shared and chatted for a while, until Asuna's parents appeared.

"We're home!" She heard the voice of her mother calling.

"Ah! Welcome home, Kyouko-san, Shouzou-san" Sada went to the doorstep and greeted them.

"Welcome home, Okaa-san, Otou-san" Asuna greeted.

"Asuna!? What may you be doing here?" Kyouko asked her worried.

"You see, it's a pretty long story..."

...

"That's what happened? Maybe it's a misunderstanding after all" Shouzou tried reassuring her "Kirigaya-kun cares a _lot_ about you. I'm sure about that. If not, I would've never handed you over to him"

"Yeah, I've thought long and hard, and decided to confront him tomorrow about that. Of course, if you let me stay here for the night" Asuna stated.

"Off course you can stay, this is your house too, honey" Kyouko said tenderly. **(A/N: Yeah I know, so OOC)**

"Okay, I'll just go prepare the room. I'll be back down before dinner." Asuna said, hurrying up, inside her room.

'This surely brings me memories, like that time Kazuto-kun climbed to my room by the balcony in that storm. I'll never forget the countless times the both of us spent here diving, making our respective homeworks, watching movies, enjoying ourselves...' She thought happily and Nostalgically.

She prepared her room just as she said she would, and changed into one of the outfits she still had in that house. Then she went downstairs and started having the delicious meal with her family. Sada-san never failed to surprise her with the dishes she made. Nonetheless, she decided to tell them up-front what was happening. Even if they scolded her, felt disappointed or anything. As long as they supported her through it...

"Okaa-san, Otou-san, Nii-sama. There's something I need to tell you. But first, you have to promise you won't jump to conclusions. I'll explain right after."

"Okay"

"What is it?"

"I promise, what is troubling you?"

Shouzou, Kyouko and Koichirou said respectively.

"Okay, here goes nothing...I'm pregnant"

"You're _What!?"_ They asked in unison gasping for air.

"Pregnant, P-R-E-G-N-A-N-T _pregnant,"_ She said, dragging the word pregnant (the last one) "now, you want an explanation or not?"

"Yes, _please!"_ Her shocked mother said quickly.

...

"Now that makes sense, but why before you even got married?" Koichirou asked, now understanding of his little sister's situation/condition.

"I don't know, but I already expressed to him my wishes of getting married before the due date" Asuna told her worried brother.

"Anyways, you have to take care of your health. Sada-san told us about how you appeared in front of the house without your jacket on the brink of freezing" Shouzou stated.

"I have, but I couldn't handle seeing how a friend of mine, as close as a sister, was k-kissing my fiance. I just can't stand it" Her voice broke and her eyes filled with tears.

She cursed her troubling emotions as the scene played on her head countless times, making her dizzy. Then, she blacked out

* * *

...

_10/30/2029_

_18 days after the proposal_

_21:00_

"-suna? Asuna?" Her mother's hand was waving in front of her (more like in front of her face), she was lying down on her bed.

"O-Okaa-san?" She asked weakly. She cursed again, now she was making her family worry again.

"How are you feeling?" Her mother asked her, this time in a sweeter and softer tone.

"I am dizzy, I feel like I could throw up at _any_ given minute, and my head hurts" She answered, her head feeling like it could and _would_ explode.

"There's a bucket in the other side of your bed. If you want anything: painkillers, water, food, anything, Sada is in the living room. Use the phone on the nightstand to call her. If you want to go to the hospital, call me to my office. I'll be there" Kyouko told her.

"Understood, Thanks Okaa-san." Asuna said softly. Before her mother got out of the house, she opened her mouth "A-and Okaa-san? One last thing"

"What is it?"

"Could you call Kazuto and Shino over tomorrow, please?"

"Sure thing, I'll tell Sada to call them over immediately after you wake up."

Both of them smiled, and Kyouko left the room. Asuna soon fell back asleep.

* * *

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_10/31/2029_

_19 days after the proposal_

_18:00_

I ran a hand through my hair in frustration. She hasn't come back yet. I've already sent Shino to her house, and I was waiting for her in worry. One day, one day has passed since she disappeared in that cab. It was making me go insane. That was, until my phone rang in a very familiar tone: Sada-san's tone (He put that one to Asuna's parents house _and_ Sada's tone).

"Moshi Moshi?"

"Ah, Kirigaya-san, I was worried you wouldn't answer" the lady's voice was heard through the terminal I held to my right ear.

"What may I help you with, Sada-san?" I asked politely.

"You see, Milady wants you to come to the Yuuki state right away" She stated seriously.

"Milady...You mean Yuuki Kyouko-san?" I said, now plainly confused.

"Yes, you'd better hurry, this is very important."

...

Once I arrived in front of the Yuuki state and parked the black car there, I ran to the doorway. There I rang the doorbell, and I was recieved by Sada-san, who told me to wait in the doorstep. While I waited, I took my shoes off and lightly tapped my foot on the floor.

Once Sada-san motioned me to enter the house, I was swallowed by the nostalgia this house brought me. Countless times had I crossed this very same hall to get to see my beloved Asuna. It brought me some sadness though, because her location was unknown to me right in this moment. I sat in one of the couches and heard the doorbell ringing once again. Then, Shino entered and sat right in front of me.

"What are you doing here?" We asked in perfect synchronization.

"No, what are _you_ doing here!?" We asked, yet again in unison.

"Milady called you both here. So stay put while we prepare everything" Sada-san scolded us.

"Yes, Sada-san" yet again, we answered in sync.

When the wait finished, a lady went in through the door that led to the staircase. She was wearing a long dark blue sundress, that reached her calves. Her long chestnut-colored hair was let free, with the exception of the two braids that connected at the back of her head. She had a slight trace of make up, and her skin looked really pale in comparison to her natural skin color. In my opinion though, she looked stunning, leaving out the sickly pale color of her skin.

She was carrying a tray: one of the sides had a plate with a couple of sandwiches, and the other had three cups of tea, with their respective saucers.

"Good evening, Kazuto, Shino" She said courtly, yet a tad flatly. By her tone I could guess she was really tired, and she called us 'Kazuto' _and_ 'Shino' instead of 'Kazuto-kun' and 'Sinonon', so something was really off.

"G-good evening, Asuna-san" I really got the need to use the suffix on her, as she seemed too polite.

"Likewise" Shino said flatly.

The young women were just glaring daggers at each other, as if trying to kill each other. If looks could kill...

"So, today I asked you both here to discuss an important matter." She went straight to the point while she put the plates and teacups on the coffee table.

I swallowed hard, we would be talking about it right there and then.

"So, given what I saw yesterday, what say you in your defense, Kazuto-k-" Asuna cleared her throat _"Kazuto?"_ She said, almost adding the suffix.

"Well..." As I told her my version of the occurrence, she seemed to be examining my face, and considering some facts. When I said I was trying to push her away and ended up touching her chest, she emitted a soft _'Oh'_ and then motioned me to finish. After my explanation ceased, Shino started hers. She didn't deny anything (thing I was deeply grateful for), and then she stood, bowed deeply and apologized with an 'I let my emotions control me. I'm very Sorry. I didn't intend _this_ to happen' I apologized too, and she told me that she wanted to trust my words because they seemed sincere. I smiled and held her hand. After that, Shino excused herself, and left.

"I-I am deeply Sorry for storming off like that and disappearing for a day" She said, a stray tear trailing down her cheek, followed by a couple more of them.

"I am sorry for this too"

"Stop apologizing, if I'd stayed behind and heard both of your explanations, nothing of this would have happened in the first place" She stated sadly, still sobbing.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo3rd person

"Don't cry Hun, you do remember what I said after you asked me what would I think if I saw a hidden side of my significant other?" He asked, gently caressing Asuna's damp cheek.

"I-I do. You said you would be lucky, because you would have a new side of your that person to love." She stammered.

"Well, it's not like I hadn't seen this side of you before, so it doesn't count, but I love all of your behaviors and sides. Including when you jump to conclusions like that" He said, taking her left hand in both of his, and caressing the silver band she had yet to take off.

"K-Kazuto-kun" She squeaked out, blushing in a shade of deep crimson, that made her beautiful hair pale in comparison.

"I also love when you get embarrassed like that" He said, getting dangerously close.

She closed her eyes in anticipation, and opened her lips slightly. He took that as cue, and kissed her lips tenderly. It wasn't rushed, or hungry. Just slow, gentle and sweet. They only separated gasping for air, and pushed their foreheads together, breathing out 'I love you' in such a low tone, they could only hear it themselves.

...

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_12/01/2029_

_15 weeks_ _exactly since the procedure (The one who induced Asuna's pregnancy)_

_13:24_

Kazuto was happily arranging decorations in a Christmas three while Asuna was in the kitchen, baking cookies and other Christmas pastries. He looked at her from his position. She was looking to the right, looking for a flashlight. This gave him the chance of taking a glance at the bump that was making itself known by growing every day more (Let's just say his heart skipped a beat _every_ _single time_ he saw it).

It was pretty extenuating for Asuna, as it was really uncomfortable to drive, sleep and do the house's chores. That's why he was letting her enjoy herself baking while he arranged every Christmas decoration. Asuna was softly singing to herself (and Yui, of course), while she took the cookies out of the oven, which made her look all the more like a housewife.

Life went nice for them of course, and within the five months of pregnancy, Asuna stopped having morning sickness, so her skin had regained it's natural colour, and she didn't wake up as early, so she got more rest. Now she didn't seem so weak, and the hormones weren't getting the best of her, so there wasn't any problem at all.

After getting everything ready, the both of them sat in the couch, and let out tired sighs.

"So, everything's prepared for our very first Christmas together in this apartment, right Kazuto-kun?" She sighed in tiredness.

"Yeah, everything, Hun" He nodded and let his head rest against his fiancee's shoulder. She giggled, and started caressing her lover's hair softly.

"I know you've been killing yourself back at work with the overtime in order to get some more money for the ceremony. That's why you've called Midori-san over right? I'm really thankful for that" She said, smiling at him "But, I'll only let you continue this behaviour _if_ you let me go out to sell some Christmas pastries with the girls tomorrow"

_"T-tomorrow?_ But- Hah whatever. Do it if you want, but take care of yourself, understood?"

"Yeah honey, I understand perfectly" Asuna said smiling widely.

He didn't want to take that pleasure from her. He was having tomorrow free, and wanted to spend it with her, reading to her (and to Yui too), inside. He was thinking of _several_ things they could have done in that span of time.

But he decided against it. '_If she wants to go out with her friends, then just let her, I'll just tell my boss that I'll also work all day tomorrow_.' Even if he had worked himself to exhaustion without rest (Even that same day he was working on an essay), since a month ago, he would keep doing it, in order to get enough money for a nice wedding ceremony Asuna would enjoy.

...

Asuna hated this, he was hiding things from her again, she just knew it. And he was being so distant lately... 'To think just three months ago we were a normal engaged couple'. She sighed, 'He didn't even try to stop me, just that -but. I wanted him to stop me, to tell me that he would hold me tight tomorrow, that we would spend it here laughing and sharing our problems and thoughts to each other. This just...plainly sucks' She sighed once again. Sometimes he was so protective, and some others he was so dense and distant... He noticed her sighs and raised his head, kissing her temple lovingly. She smiled at him and rested her head on his shoulder.

Suddenly, she started squirming uncomfortably on her spot. He noticed it, and carried her back to the room, where he laid her on his chest. Soon enough, he could hear her breathing settle and her heartbeat stabilize. In other words, she fell asleep in her lover's embrace.

* * *

**Okay, important news: Kitten is seeing a disgusting lack of feedback, seriously? 28? I don't like that number at all. If we raise it to 40 in the span of two weeks, I'll continue this story. If not, I won't only discontinue this story, I'll erase it. If only a small portion of people like it, then What's the point in giving my all in writing for you? Being such a small audience? No point in that. That's what I think. I'm Sorry if it bothered you, but that was just a joke xD I want 33 reviews, only that 5 more reviews is what I'm really asking for, and no cheating! Anyway, hope you enjoyed. **

**Well, As always Read&amp;Review, Favorite&amp;Follow if you like, and PM me your ideas (no one has even tried that yet), and if your birthday is soon, tell me when is it and what would you like. I'll make a one-shot about it. Read you later! Kitten is out!**

**-Your beloved (?) Kitten **


	7. What is love to you?

**Hello my beautiful (?) readers... As promised, here I have your new chapter. No one has told me their birthday date yet :( I wanna make one-shots. If you don't give me ideas I'm going to run out of them. Anyway, I'll be posting a new story of my creation called "Their precious memories" more information below. Another story one-shot I'll be posting soon called "The bonds" is in process.**

**Okay sweethearts, I'm really grateful for your feedback. Though it isn't enough to satisfy me :) . I would really appreciate if you took the time to read my pre- and -Pos story comments (Including the A/N's) **

**Disclaimer: If I owned SAO I would have put a whole more fluff and moé in it. This work of art belongs to Reki-sensei except the OCs and the story in general. ****Anyway, enjoy!**

**Update: As of 08/05/2015, this chapter has been edited. Hope you enjoy.**

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OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_12/02/2029_

_15 weeks and 1 day since the_ _procedure._

_09:19_

Asuna opened her eyes slowly and carefully, and took a couple of seconds to adjust her eyes to the light. She looked around herself, and tried turning to her stomach. Then she remembered she couldn't. She cursed under her breath and looked up.

There, with the same naive sleeping face that he wore in those mornings back in the 22nd Floor of Aincrad, was Kazuto still sleeping. Asuna adopted that very same position she used to look at him sleeping, and started arranging his messy black locks, strand by strand. When he started stirring, she panicked slightly and in her fluster, her head crashed on the headboard and then she fell on the pillows with an 'hmph'. This sudden movement, made Kazuto open his eyes completely, examining her face in worry.

"Are you okay? What happened?" Or so he asked. She blushed madly and looked towards the ceiling, trying to feign ignorance.

"..."

"Please, answer me" He said in a pleading tone.

"I-I, nothing happened" She answered in a fluster. But he saw right through her lie.

"So, you can tell me nothing happened, but I can't lie to you _at all?"_ He asked, grabbing one of her hands.

She blushed deep crimson and answered.

"Sorry, it just makes me uncomfortable saying it" She smiled sadly, and he hugged her to his chest.

"If it makes you uncomfortable, then don't say it. I just want to know if you're fine. Tell me, _please?"_ He asked her sweetly and kissed the back of her right hand.

"I'm alright, just hit my head against the wooden headboard" She said, rubbing the back of her head. Suddenly, her hand brushed over an specific place, and she winced.

**_"Asuna"_** He said dragging his words in a scolding tone. She winced again, this time at his tone.

"Well, I hadn't noticed that either!" She said in her defense.

...

_10:01_

After treating _it_ **(I couldn't think of anything)**, Asuna got up and prepared them some breakfast. She was humming to herself in the kitchen, and Kazuto suddenly remembered something.

"Hey, Asuna," He said, grabbing her attention away from the food "Why are you humming and singing to yourself so much lately?" Or so he asked. She sweatdropped and began scolding him.

"I told you last week, didn't I? It's because as of this moment, Yui's ears are developing. Now she can hear our voices, even right now." She turned to her bump "Right, Yui-chan?"

"Ah, _okay_ I guess..." He said. She returned her attention to the food, but kept talking.

"So, you already know what I'm doing for the day, What are _you_ going to do today?" She asked sweetly, putting their breakfasts in two plates, and setting them on the table.

"I'm going to work today" He answered flatly.

_"Again?_ You should take breaks from time to time or you're going to get sick!" She scolded.

"Well, I thought of taking a break to spend the day with you today, but you said you wanted to sell pastries with everyone. That's why I decided to keep working this week, and _maybe, just maybe,_ I'll take a break in Christmas Eve, Christmas day and New years Eve." He explained.

This made Asuna's heart sink. She thought he was going to stop her from doing so because he felt it was endangering her health, she never suspected he wanted to take a free day to spend with _her._

"Then, how about I tell the girls to do it by themselves or change the date? You can always tell your boss to let you have a free day, you're working full-time now, after all" She proposed.

"B-but-"

"No buts Mister, you're going to spend a nice day with your fiancee _and_ your little daughter!" She stated.

"O-ok, then, how about you take out some of the cookies you made last night?, I'll get a nice book and some hot cocoa."

"Ok, I'll prepare the cookies. Make sure to put some whipped cream and marshmallows on top of mine!" She said, getting into the kitchen and looking for the tray of cookies.

He smiled to himself and turned to find a suitable book. It was a book Asuna had brought to the apartment saying 'If I get some free time, I'd really like to read it', but she never really got the chance. It was a romantic novel of course, but what could he do if his beloved Asuna liked this kind of stuff? The title was _"Eternal love saga: What is love to you?"_ **(A/N: Just a product of my imagination. It doesn't really exist. If such a book, or something like it exists, it's just a mere coincidence. If that's the case, then I apologize.)** He then put it on the coffee table and prepared each their cups of hot cocoa. After that, he settled down beside Asuna, and she smiled at him.

"You remembered" She breathed out and the pecked his cheek.

"Of course, the memory just triggered when I was searching of a good book. Now, shall I begin?" He asked her.

"Shall you begin _what...?"_ She asked curiously.

"Reading of course, I'll read to you _and_ Yui." He stated.

"Ah, I see. That does make sense." She thought about it and then finished. "But, are you sure you want to read _this_ book?" She asked in evident discomfort.

"Of course, if you want to hear it, then I'll read it for you" He assured her.

"Understood. Then, you can begin."

...

_11:3__9_

_"**They stayed silent for the rest of the while, when Haruka interrupted.**_

**_-"Hey, Hatori-kun, what is love to you?" Haruka asked sweetly._**

**_-"Hmm, Where is this coming from Ruka-chan?" He asked embarrassed by the question. She giggled and continued_**

**_-"That doesn't matter right now, just answer!" She demanded cheerfully._**

**_-"It's an integration of deep feelings of care for another person in specific, I guess" He answered sheepishly._**

**_-"So, Maybe it could be..." She muttered mysteriously._**

**_-"It could be what?" He asked dumbfounded._**

**_-"Love" She stated._**

**_-"What could be love?"_**

**_-"These feelings I have for you" She answered smiling sweetly. "I love you, Hatori-kun"_**

**_-"I-I love you too Haruka" He answered. Her eyes widened in shock._**

**_-"Then-" She started, but was harshly interrupted when he kissed her deeply._**

_**"Emotions can develop even in the worst of scenarios. Even if these two were sneaking out every night to meet because their parents disapproved of their friendship, they did it. Love is a feeling nobody can avoid feeling, and these two will probably live it for the best. Let's keep watching over these two to protect them, to guide them, because love alone can't lead the lives of two teenagers" (A/N: Myself, 04/19/2015 22:25)**_

Kazuto finished _**"The End"** _**(****He said it in English)**

Asuna yawned and rested her head against Kazuto's shoulder and sighed in contentment.

"It was a nice book..."

"Yeah, it was interesting"

"Wait a second, did you just say this romantic novel was of _your_ delight!?"

"What's so impressing about that? I used to read novels when I was younger, but not this kind"

"Oh, ok..."

"Is something the matter?"

"Yeah, it's just this novel has really made me think"

"About what?"

"Hey Kazuto-kun, _what is love to you?"_ She said, avoiding his question.

"Hmm? Um, I think it's a strong feeling that can defy _any_ mental barrier anyone can create, a feeling that makes you heart flutter and race and your mind go all fuzzy. That's what I think at least"

_"Oh?_ You say you don't have a way with words, but that just now sounded pretty corny" She teased.

"It's not my fault that's how I feel towards you" He said teasingly in return. "After all, weren't you and your attributes **(A/N****:Don't be perverted, he means her personality and such),** the ones who made me fall so hard for you?"

She blushed deeply and looked away, still lying towards his shoulder.

"Then what about you? Always playing knight in shining black armour and rescuing bunchs of cute girls when they are in trouble" She teased.

"That's not what I am talking about. I mean you are very beautiful physically _and_ mentally." He shrugged her comment off, and told her sweetly and sincerely.

Her blush darkened significantly and she looked at his onyx eyes. Her own hazelnut-colored ones in the brink of releasing tears of joy.

He cupped her right cheek with his right hand, and stole her lips in a gentle and long kiss. She just put both of her hands around his neck, placing them in the nape, and attracted him as much as she would to her body, without putting pressure to her small bump. They parted, and she hid her face in the crook of his neck.

"You know, I love so so much. Please stay with me _forever."_ She said in a creaking voice.

"I will protect you until the end. I'll make sure everything goes smoothly for your future, even if I'm not included in it."

"If you're not in it, I'd rather not have it"

They pushed their foreheads together, and pecked on the lips.

Then, they made their way to the bed, and laid cuddled together.

"I love you too, Asuna" He told her. "More than my own life"

She smiled, a stray tear making it's way down her cheek.

...

They napped for two hours and woke up around _14:00_

At that time, they just laid there, just enjoying each other's presence.

"Hey, Kazuto-kun."

"What is it?"

"Have you ever wondered how would it feel to be _all_ alone in the world?"

"No, with you by my side, I have diferent things to worry about"

"Like what?"

"Everything you may want or need"

"Why?"

"Because I love you, _baka" _**(Idiot)**

"Why is that?"

"Where is all of this coming from?"

"I've wanted to ask for a while now. What would our lives be like if we didn't fall in love with each other, or if we hadn't met at all?" She asked flatly.

"I know I would still be a loner with only the girls, Klein and Agil to make me company, and you would have probably be married off with some wealthy fellow." He answered simply.

"Hmm. Do you think your life would be better if you had fallen in love with one of the other girls?"

"It wouldn't be worth it" She frowned.

"You're not answering my question!"

"I wouldn't change or regret falling in love with you for the world." He stated, reading through the actual reason of the questioning.

She blushed yet again and kissed him deeply and passionately. When they parted, he immediately asked.

"Where did that come from?" He asked absentmindedly.

"You deserved it" She stated.

"Well, thank you I guess?" He tried.

"You're very welcome."

"..."

"..."

Then, the two bursted out laughing. Then, Asuna spoke.

"Shall we get out of bed?"

"No, I like trying here with you" She muttered.

"Okay then" He said, pulling the covers over both of their bodies.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_12/31/2029_

_19 weeks and 3 days since the procedure._

_23:59_

_"Ten!"_ The group called in harmony, and in English

_"Nine!"_

_"Eight!"_

_"Seven!"_

_"Six!"_

_"Five!"_

_"Four!"_

_"Three!"_

_"Two!"_

_**"One!"**_

"Happy new year!" The group shared hugs and congratulations, some crying, some barely tearing up, and some grinning widely.

While this happened, a certain couple was kissing passionately and hugging together. As of this moment, Karin-sensei, Yowasa-sensei and Rinko-sensei had decided on a due date: 05/14/2030.

The couple also decided the date of their marriage ceremony: 03/31/2030 when Asuna would be around 32 weeks. They were overjoyed their little miracle was with them. As of now, Asuna's protruding bump was growing really quickly, and they had felt Yui move 5 times till then.

Suddenly, Asuna's hand grabbed Kazuto's and laid it on her bump. He felt a light kick, the another one. He smiled in a fatherly fashion, and stroked the inflated abdomen of his wife-to-be. She blushed of course, but she was already used to his sudden shows of affection towards her and the baby. They raised from their seat at the Dicey Cafe slowly and hugged everyone. A couple of hours after that, _(03:10),_ they decided to leave. They excused themselves and went over to the car. There, before they even reached for the door, Asuna's sight became blurry, and she grabbed onto Kazuto strongly. A minute passed, and Asuna's sight returned to normal.

"It's the second time it happens this week. Yowasa-sensei said it was normal, but I can't help but to worry" Asuna said, once they were in the car.

"Maybe it's normal and you're overreacting, but I'm worried about your health" He said, his face reflecting the very same things he said.

"You're right...I'll try to story thinking about it"

"Don't worry, weird things happen all time. It's just like the tiny black spot that appeared on your left shoulder and looks just like a normal mole"

**FLASHBACK OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo**

"Hey Asuna"

"Hmm?"

"What is _that_ on your shoulder?"

"Hmm? Ah! You're right, I hadn't noticed it before!"

"It looks like a mole to me."

"No, you idiot, it's a _**'Maternity Mark',**_ I read about it. it'll disappear soon after I give birth. It's too big to be a mole"

"Oh, I see..."

**END OF** **FLASHBACK OoOoOoOoOoOo**

"Hmm...Maybe you're right. I'll just try not to worry about it too much."

"That's my girl!" He said excitedly.

"Yeah...! I think?" She then blushed a dark crimson when she caught the meaning

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo XXX PoV (Point of view)**_

_'I hate this, it's a very tedious routine I have to follow everyday. I can't even open my eyes, or perceive any fragrance that I come across, I can't even generate a sound, all I can do is hear the noises of the outside. Sometimes I hear sweet hums of a song that triggers my memories, sometimes a real song with a sweet voice singing. Sometimes I hear chats, sometimes arguments, and sometimes fights and discussions.'_

_'I can't to leave this place. It's boring, but I'm too afraid of the outside world. This place may be tedious, boring and too small, but I can feel something I can't describe, a very warm feeling. It reminds me of my mother's embrace, it envelopes and protects me. And I'm not going to leave this place in a long time. After all, who stays just five months in such a delightful location if the choice is given?'_

* * *

**Okay, hope you enjoyed, and I'd like to express my Thanks to some of my reviewers:**

**-jfrok **

**-LegionLoyal**

**-Those unnamed guests (Yes, I'm talking about you! "Anxious", "Nicholas21", "Guest")**

**-EMH22**

**-SSTrans**

**\- Just an observer1**

**-Atomicdino **

**-Phinxie **

**-L' Fleur Noir. **

**-Batblade-girl-Beyond **

**-And those reviewers whose names I can't remember.**

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**Hope you enjoyed. As always Read&amp;Review, Follow&amp;Favorite if you like, and read you next time sweeties!**

**-Kitten. **


	8. Caring and Babysitting: Double trouble

**Hello there my dear and beautiful (?) buds! How have you been lately? I've now realised the number of reviews has already reached 60, so, just as I promised before, here I bring you a brand new chapter of "Sword art Online: The After Story". As always, thanks for your awesome feedback and I hope you like your new chapter. Have fun!**

**Disclaimer: Sword art Online and all it's characters belong to Reki-sensei. Nothing here belongs to me but the plot and the OCs. Hope you read this Note and enjoy!**

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OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_01/01/2030_

_19 weeks and 4 days since the procedure. _

_08:30 _

Asuna fluttered her eyes open. She was lying on her left side, and her head was resting on top of Kazuto's chest. She was blushing slightly from the shared warmth and closeness they shared, and the fact that she could hear the soft sound of his heart beating rhythmically next to her ear. This was the very same sound she fell asleep the last night to. She looked up to the young man's sleeping figure. She never got tired of watching the naive Kazuto in such a relaxed and calm state.

She was going to admit it, he was usually very stressed or really tired, specially now with Asuna's pregnancy and his overwork for getting founds for the wedding. He was so attentive to her and he was also really calmed sometimes, it almost seemed surreal to the both of them the fact that they were living together their lives so nicely and so peacefully, without needing to fight or struggle much anymore, just slowly and calmly solving any small problem they might have to behold between the both.

She was actually looking forward to their married life, to share it with such a cute little treasure and such a nice husband (**A/N: I know you thought she was talking about him before xD**), was actually a really good reason to look forward to it. She sighed in contentment and snuggled closer to him, her blush deepening at her actions.

She patiently watched as his long, black-colored eyelashes fluttered slightly, and smiled in content when his half-asleep dark grey, _almost_ onyx-colored eyes locked a gaze with her hazelnut-colored ones.

He returned the smile and happily muzzled his nose into her hair and inhaled really deeply. He _never_ got tired of that scent she emitted, her delicious scent. He then looked back at her eyes and breathed out a proper greeting.

"Good morning Asuna" He said sleepily.

"Good morning, Kazuto-kun!" She said enthusiastically grinning widely.

"So, shall we wash up and go have some breakfast?" He asked, secretly hoping to spend more time lying with her beside him, sharing a moment of peace.

_"Okay"_ She exhaled exaggeratedly as if she was being ordered around against her will.

"What is wrong? You don't want to? Do you feel uncomfortable or sick?" He asked her, really worried about her well-being.

"Nothing, it's just... my back is _really_ killing me and my feet are pretty swollen so they hurt. I feel too uncomfortable to go and make breakfast." She answered tiredly, rubbing her shoulders.

"Then I'll call my mom, she'll **definetly** know what to do" Kazuto answered, getting his phone. She was going to protest, telling him that bothering Midori-san wasn't necessary, but she went against it, and kept her mouth shut.

He dialed and after a couple of rings, Kirigaya Midori answered her phone.

**"Moshi Moshi?** Kazuto? Is something the matter in there?" She began really worried about her son, her granddaughter and her daughter in-law.

"Yeah, Asuna is very tired and uncomfortable. She doesn't feel good enough to make breakfast" Kazuto explained before her worries got the best of her.

"Oh, is that all? Then I'll be over in a couple of minutes. Think you can manage by yourselves 'til then?" She asked teasingly to her adopted son, who was actually her niece, her deceased sister's son.

_"Yeah mom"_ He said dragging his words, visibly annoyed.

"Well, whatever. I'll see you in a moment. Bye!" She then hung up without waiting for him to answer properly.

"She'll be here in just a couple of minutes" He announced her and laid next to her again, with her cuddling against his chest.

"Thank you Kazu-kun" She said sweetly, then pecking his cheek lovingly.

"You're very welcome, Hun" He said kissing her forehead sweetly.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_09:05_

"Okay, have fun you two. Just make sure you don't have _too_ much" Midori said leaving the young couple blushing in embarrassment right in the doorway.

"Okay, now _that_ was awkward." Asuna said to interrupt the very awkward silence that creeped in-between them after Midori's comment.

"See why I didn't want you to meet her the first time? Geez, she's always such a tease." He answered her tiredly.

"At least we had something nice to eat...Now, what do you want to do for the day?" She asked curiously.

"Well, you'll go sit in the room until Suguha, Keiko and Rika arrive to help you pick stuff for the wedding ceremony " He said sternly.

"You're not working again today, are you?" She asked genuinely worried for his health, the same way he worried about hers.

"I am, I already lost a day of work. We can't afford losing too much time for mere leisure" He stated seriously. "Not even if the both of us enjoy it."

"Don't you _ever_ think I could get lonely for not getting enough time with you!?" She asked tentatively, her eyes watering.

"Of course I do, that's why I had a whole day with you, yesterday when you asked for it" He simply told her.

"Idiot!" After this shout, she ran back to the room as fast as her slightly swollen feet could manage to carry her without hurting her.

He looked at her disappearing silhouette, smiling sadly and looking down. Truth to be told, he hated himself sometimes for acting like that, worrying those around him to the point of no return.

"Sometimes I ask myself if I _really_ deserve such happiness with her after all..." He muttered silently looking over the pile of work and walking over to it.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_12:50_

"Look Asuna-san! Aren't this flowers just gorgeous?" The youngest brunette asked the girl in front of her, showing her a picture in a magazine.

"Yeah, they are, Keiko-chan" She answered sweetly to the young lady whose looks could fool anyone to think she was still a teenager, even if she was a 19-year-old already.

"Unfair! I found those pretty flowers in that very same magazine last week" Suguha pointed out signaling towards the magazine Asuna was now holding.

"That's right, Keiko you shouldn't keep looking at the magazines after we've already checked them!" The older brunette, Rika scolded her.

"Okay..." She answered annoyed "It's not my fault I don't know which magazines have already been checked already" She muttered in disagreement.

"Then you should come more often with us, normally we come here with Argo-san, Sasha-san, Yulier-san or Yolko-san...Even Rio-san or-"

"I get it, I get it already!" She answered already tired of her best friend's antics, cutting her off mid-sentence.

"Now that you get it, will you come visit us more often?" Asuna asked hopeful to have more company.

"Hmm...I'll think about it..."

The door creaked open revealing the black-haired man whose smile could melt her heart, her fiance Kazuto.

"Hey girls" He said.

"Hi" Suguha simply greeted.

"Hello" Rika just stated.

"Thanks for having us" The youngest, Keiko greeted nicely.

"You ready?" Asuna said condescendingly.

"Yeah, I'll continue tomorrow. By the way...Are the three of you free the 30th?" He asked motioning towards their guests.

"Yeah"

"I have nothing important to do"

"I have absolutely no problem"

Rika, Suguha and Keiko answered him respectively.

"Then, with the budget I have gotten with work, how about you go pick a fitting dress for Asuna?" He proposed.

"Yeah~!" The three of them said excitedly, almost hopping with joy.

"Are you sure, Kazuto-kun?" Asuna asked shocked at his words.

"Yeah, as of now, we already have enough money for the ceremony, all it's details, and your dress. At the 30th, we'll have enough for the suit and the invites.

"Thank you Kazuto-kun!" She shouted in joy hugging him tightly. At the scene, the three onwatchers chorused an 'Daww~', making the two of them separate and blush in the embarrassment of acting like that in front of others.

"You two should really ignore us, just keep doing whatever thing you were doing just now" Suguha said, her face expressing extreme bliss **(A/N: If you've ever read Love so Life, the face Chiharu makes every time the twins look cute)**

"Oh? Is that so? Then..." She then grabbed the collar of her fiance's shirt and caught his lips in a passionate kiss that lasted until they ran out of breath.

The other three were showing totally different facial expressions. Keiko was covering her eyes, and her cheeks were beet red; Suguha looked absolutely shocked; and Rika had a pleased smirk on her features, making her look all the more scary for the couple.

"Er...Um...I think I exaggerated a bit back there, Tehehe~" The chestnut-haired girl said sheepishly scratching the back of her head with her left hand, with the other one in her chest, still trying to regain her own breath.

"Oh God, I am _so_ keeping this information for my future teasing" Rika said, smiling wickedly, Suguha soon accompanying her.

"Forget about that! We are going to choose the wedding dress the 30th, Arent you excited?" Keiko dismissed the matter and asked, receiving a collective squeal from the other three.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_01/26/2030 _

2_3 weeks since procedure._

_10:30 _

A soft tune was heard through the house, waking up the napping chestnut-haired lady who was currently lying on her bed. She picked her phone tiredly and put it to her ear.

"Moshi Moshi?" She asked tiredly, not even bothering to check the caller ID.

"Asuna-san!" The hurried voice heard through the phone shouted, almost making Asuna jump.

"W-what it it?" She asked cautiously.

"I-I there's an emergency!" The muffled voice said still hurried. Asuna identified the owner of this voice as Hiwasawa Rio.

"What's the matter?" She asked calm trying to get a coherent response.

"My mother has gotten sick, my father is overseas and Satoru's parents live in Hokkaido. Satoru-kun and I have to watch out for my mother and Misako, who caught a cold too. I was wondering if you and Kirigaya-san could watch over the twins for the rest of the week. I'll make sure to give you every detail and to come visit to give you the needed supplies" She explained, noticeably worried.

"Yeah, you can drop them off whenever you want" Asuna agreed nicely "But I warn you that Kazuto-kun is pretty absorbed in work" She exhaled in disappointment.

"Yeah, that happens to Satoru-kun pretty often..." The muffled voice of Rio said through the terminal. Then she also sighed. The both of them bursted out laughing, Asuna wiping the small tears that started forming in the corners of her eyes.

"Well, I'll drop the twins off in around 15 minutes" Rio decided

"See you then! Bye"

"Bye!" Then Rio hung up.

Asuna raised herself to her feet, wincing at the feeling that came with standing and walking. She slowly and carefully made her way to the small office-like room Kazuto used to do most of his work.

"Kazuto-kun?" Asuna asked earning his attention.

"Ah, what do you need, Asuna?" He asked turning around to look at her.

"You see, Rio can't take care of her children and asked me if I could do it. She's coming here in around 15 minutes. Are you helping me?" She explained slowly.

"Yeah, I can finish this later. Tell me when she gets here" He said, closing a dark brown briefcase that was placed on his desk.

"Let's prepare the house and wait then" Asuna proposed, getting an affirmative nod from the black-haired young man.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_10:59_

"Sorry for the wait, Kirigaya-san, Asuna-san" Rio said bowing deeply in front of them "Thanks for helping us out" She finished, pushing the baby carriage through the door, and bringing with herself a big lilac-colored bag full of toys and supplies. She gave the bag to Asuna, and told her all the specifics. After that, she kissed both of her children in their foreheads.

"It's okay, Rio-san, we are glad to be of any help" Asuna told the young woman in front of her nicely.

"Okay, I gotta go. Goodbye!" She waved and left in her car. Asuna just watched the small silver car leave as she carried carefully one of the twins.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_12:10_

"Hello, I'm your Auntie Asuna and I'll take care of the both of you this week" She told the little twins once they opened their cute apple green eyes.

The chubby little boy, named Haruto looked at her curiously, his head tilting to the side while still lying down, while the little girl named Hanako (according to Rio, she's supposed to be the oldest), giggled, made an 'Ah' sound, and put her left thumb in her mouth sideways, trying to reach towards Asuna with her other hand.

"Asuna, did Rio-san drop off the twins alre-" He looked towards the giggling infant, grinned and corrected himself "I guess she did" He then walked towards the active children and greeted them accordingly "Hello, Haruto, Hanako-chan"

Asuna smiled at him and pointed towards the bag.

"Get a couple of toys out, I'll play with them for a little while" She stated. Kazuto did as she asked and handed over two bright-colored plushies to her.

"Here you go. I'll be in the other room if you need me"

"Going back to work?" She asked dragging the words in accusation.

"No, just need to change" He answered, motioning towards the black pyjama pants and long-sleeved grey shirt.

"Go then" Then she returned her attention to the blue-haired twins.

_"Dah"_ Haruto babbled _"Da-bah"_

_"A-ma"_ Hanako tried _"Na-mah"_ She babbled out, unable to hold her head straight for more than Five seconds.

"Yeah?" Asuna asked, trying to create a conversation (**A/N: Not really to talk, but to try to help the twins learn language)**

The both of them bursted into small fits of giggles, Hanako rolling onto her stomach and back.

"You both are _so_ cute!" She squealed and the twins bursted out laughing once again. Hanako grabbed one of the plushies and put it to her mouth, trying to chew on it. "You shouldn't do that!" She playfully scolded, earning more giggles from Hanako.

_"Ma-bah!"_ Haruto cooed cutely, grabbing hold of Asuna's finger and putting it inside of his mouth.

"Hey!" She playfully protested, laughing while Hanako was rolling onto her stomach, and back again.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_14:59_

Haruto started poking and touching Asuna's belly all around, laughing and babbling sense lacking sentences.

"I think you shouldn't do that" A masculine voice said from the side.

"Kazuto-kun~…" She cooed, trailing off.

"What is it?" He asked her sweetly.

"Come help me out~" She kept cooing in a tired tone.

"Okay, what do you want me to do?" He asked her.

"Let me rest for a while. It's your turn"

"Okay. Go nap for a while" He told her sweetly.

The chestnut-haired lady did as she was told and nodded off when she got to the room.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_15:32_

Asuna woke up suddenly to the sound of crying and weeping of two different high-pitched voices. She ran to the guest room as fast as she could. When she arrived, she saw Kazuto heating a bottle of formula... a bit too much.

"You should stop heating it by now" She scolded, testing the bottle's warmth, that was effectively lukewarm.

"Sorry, I just kinda panicked back there" He said sheepishly scratching the back of his neck.

"Okay, hold her head like that, just like that," She said teaching him how to hold Hanako to feed her. "Now, while you keep feeding her like that, I'll go see what is troubling Haruto-kun"

"Oh, he just needs to chance his diaper. Could you do that for me?" He explained in a sheepish tone of voice.

"I'll take care of that. But tomorrow, it'll be you turn" She said smirking.

He swallowed soundly and nodded, the sudden movement making Hanako squirm uncomfortably.

"See what you did?" She asked, picking the weeping baby boy and starting to change him. This actually proved to be an easy task for the wife to-be, while Kazuto seemed to have it a little hard to feed the three-month-old baby girl. When both of them finished, they put both of the blue-haired children in the bed, making sure the anti-fall system worked.

"Seems we actually managed" He answered tiredly, rubbing his own shoulders slightly.

"And we still have a week to go" Asuna said, discouraging the black-haired young man.

"You didn't have to mention that..." He told her.

"Don't complain! I'm the one doing most of the work even though I'm supposed to be resting" She scolded in a strict manner. This made Kazuto chuckle slightly.

"What's so funny?" She asked him indignation irradiating from her words.

"That manner of speaking you used just now reminded me a whole lot of your mother's manner of speech" He explained her, getting her to blush madly and make an obvious question.

"R-really? I actually d-do that?" She questioned.

"Yeah, sometimes you act just like your mother and sometimes you act like your father" He continued his explanation, getting her to sink in the information.

"S-seriously? Hey! Y-you are just changing the topic!" She said in a fluster, her blush giving out her embarrassment.

"No, I'm not, I just stated a fact" He told the flustered 23 year-old lady.

"O-okay" She said. She then heard a high-pitched giggle from the side. She looked towards the source, and found it to be little Haruto.

"Haruto-kun you should go back to sleep" She said, but only got more giggles as response, this time from little Hanako. "H-Hanako-chan...!" She tried, but the children only seemed more energetic.

"This is going to be a long, long night" Kazuto told her, putting a hand in her left shoulder.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_01/02/2030_

_19 weeks and 5 days since procedure_

_04:00_

The sound of weeping was heard from the guest room, but before Asuna could raise her upper body to go and help the blue-haired twins, she felt an arm block her way. She was going to protest, but again before she could react properly, she heard his voice.

_"Don't"_ He said.

"Why?"

"They'll get used to you attending them at night" He said, again sternly.

"That does make sense but, they've been crying for five minutes now. I should check what they need" She explained.

"Okay, I'll wait here. Don't overwork yourself" He said nicely.

**"Hypocrite"** She shot him back, making him close his mouth.

"E-excuse me...?"

"Nothing" She said, honeycoating her words.

She then walked out of the room.

"She's too beautiful..." He said trailing off._ 'Asuna, what did you do to make me act like this?'_ He thought, getting distracted by his intruding train of thoughts.

...

"What are you doing?" Asked a voice from his side, waking him up from his **(A/N: day-, no night-, even less! Let's just say from his thoughts Kay?)** Waking him up from his thoughts and making him look to the side, where his fiancee lied, looking at him in confusion.

"Nothing, just thinking" He stated simply.

"Thinking about what?" She asked him curiously.

"About how _lucky_ I'm to have you" He said, making her cheeks change to red almost immediately.

"I-I, Um I'-hmph!" She began, being interrupted by him putting his lips to her in a slow, passionate kiss that continued for a couple of seconds, until they were running out of breath.

"From your nose" He said, reminding her to breathe in by said organ.

The kissing slowly turned into soft caressing, passionate kisses, a lot of nibbling and more teasing, but was briefly interrupted by a small coo _(Bah),_ that came from the guest room. Asuna parted from him, panting heavily.

"I-I think" she panted "we should go" she panted once again "back to sleep" She finished, still panting.

"Okay. Good nights Hun" He said sweetly, muzzling his nose in her hair.

"Good night" She said, closing her eyes and falling asleep quickly. Once he made sure she was fast asleep, he remembered the small incident that happened back in Christmas day. **(A/N: If you want to know what it was, read my one shot "The bonds")**. Then, he fell asleep.

* * *

**Okay, that was all. _The bonds_ can be found in my profile. Now, I'd like to Thank my reviewers, followers and favorites . Here:**

**-Vanessajo.**

**-Alek Sands.**

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**\- Azmomir.**

**\- Zachariah T. Kitchell.**

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**\- L' Fleur Noir.**

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**\- Batblade-girl-beyond.**

**Well, as always Read&amp;Review when you can, Follow and/or Favorite if you like, I hope you liked this new chapter and read you next time!**

**-Kitten**


	9. A normal day

**Hey there buds! Kitten here with another chapter of "Sword Art Online: The After Story" I want to apologize for the bunch of time it took to finish this chapter, but I have a valid couple of valid excuses: My schoolwork is killing me + I want to find time to read (it's my hobby) + I want to draw animals + I've been really sleepy lately, so now I fall asleep earlier + homework + Practicing piano... This are the most important reasons yet. I wanna dedicate this chapter to L'Fleur Noir. And if you excuse me, I got a couple of things to say to her, in Spanish:**

**Ingrata! Y eso que no me has mandado ni un solo review? Eso es maldad...Nah mentira, estoy jugando. Disfruta!**

**Now, disclaimer...I don't need to repeat it, do I? If I owned SAO and it's content, I wouldn't be here, but making the third season. ( ^^) _旦~~ Sit back and enjoy!**

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OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_01/04/2030_

_20 weeks since procedure_

_14:00_

Asuna was playing with Haruto in the couch while Hanako was napping. Then, the doorbell rang. Kazuto raised from the rocking chair and opened the door, only to be surprised by finding Misako in there, fully healthy once again and carrying a plump baby blue bag.

"Ah, Misako-chan. Great to see you're feeling better" Kazuto nicely told the blue-haired teenager in front of him.

"I wish I could say the same thing about you, Kazu-nii" Misako signaled sadly, and Kazuto's smile drooped "You look like you haven't slept in a week, and you've only taken care of the twins for _two days!_ Just imagine the other three. Ugh" Misako said disapprovingly "Anyways, I came here for two reasons 1) To let Onee-chan and Satoru-nii take proper care of mom and 2) To help the both of you with my little nieces. So I'll be staying here for the next three days" She explained.

"Okay, make yourself comforta-" He was suddenly interrupted by the sound of Asuna's voice from behind him.

"K-Kazuto-kun I'm feeling dizzy" She said in a pained voice while clutching her head "M-my head hurts!"

"A-are you alright, Asuna?" He asked her unsure, once he got to her side. She closed her eyes and turned to him.

"N-no, I feel awful" She said, one of her eyes still half-open.

"Don't worry, I'll get you to the room" He said, carrying her in his arms. "Misako-chan, can you take care of the twins 'till then?"

"Roger that, Kazu-san!"

The next two days we're significantly easier with the help of Misako. While Asuna rested, she would take care of the twins and Kazuto would work for a while before going to rest with his fianceé, and in the afternoon she would put the twins to sleep (with herself napping too, of course), while Kazuto and Asuna would get more plans for the wedding done. That was a peaceful time for the couple, until the last day of the babysitting.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_01/07/2030_

_20 weeks, three days after the procedure._

_14:00_

Kazuto was out with Misako buying the groceries when he received a call from one of his neighbors.

_"Moshi Moshi,_ Kirigaya-san?" The voice of the elderly lady that lived next door resounded muffled through his terminal.

"Yeah, what do you need, Kohawara-san?" He asked tenderly.

"I was wondering if you knew why the sound of crying and yelling can be heard from your apartment. I hope it's not Yuuki-san there"

"How long has it been sounding?"

"Its been like that for the last 20 minutes. That's why I'm calling"

"Okay, I'll be right there" He closed his phone and looked towards the confused Misako.

"Whats wrong, Kazu-san? You look like you've seen a ghost!"

"The twins have been crying _and_ yelling for the last twenty minutes. And Asuna hasn't calmed they down"

The both of them paid for the groceries and sprinted towards the apartment complex. They ran as fast as they could, and a couple of minutes later they could hear the obvious sound of the twins weeping. They sped up and quickly opened the door.

What lay there was a disaster, Asuna was lying on the floor panting and unconscious while the twins cried as loud as they we're allowed to, and their stuff and toys were laying around. Misako hurriedly calmed them down while Kazuto took Asuna back inside of the room. He quickly dialed the number of her doctor and waited. He made sure to cool the room off a bit, which did seem to help slightly the lady. The flush on her cheeks didn't seem to dissapear in the slightest, so he took her temperature. It was of 37°, so she should be fine at home. Or that was what he thought until she woke up. He put an ice pack to her forehead as she asked him to, and gave her cold water to avoid posible dehydration, because she was sweating slightly.

"K-Kazuto, can you lie here with me?" She asked weakly. Even if her light fever wasn't such a big deal, she seemed to be truly in pain.

"As you wish" He stated and lied next to her, with her cuddling up to him once he was comfortable.

"Your skin feels so cool..." She said trailing off. When he looked down, he discovered she was already deep asleep, so he let her be. He also fell asleep a while later, unconscious of what was happening outside of the room.

Misako and her older sister Rio came in a couple of minutes later, smiling and chorusing a silent 'Daww~' in unison. They took a picture of the sleeping couple and left the house, taking the twins and all their stuff with them.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_01/30/2030_

_23 weeks, five days since the procedure._

_13:09_

There was a knock on the door, and a high-pitched voice asking something.

"Asuna-nee-san?" The voice asked through the door before going back to knocking. Kazuto opened the door to be surprised with the appearance of a brown-haired girl that looked around five years younger that Asuna or himself.

"May I know if Asuna-nee-san lives here?" The girl asked nicely.

"Um...Who do I have the pleasure with?" He asked back, visibly confused.

"My name is Hayowasa Ririna, but you may recognize me as 'Mina', Kirito-nii-san!" The younger girl said. These words triggered a part of Kazuto's memories that he hadn't reminsced of since around five years before; The day he met Sasha and the children from the church while looking for Yui's friends/parents/acquaintances.

**-Flashback-**

"Gin!, Kain!, Mina! Are you there!?"

When Sasha called out towards the men, a frightened girlish voice soon rang out in response.

"Sensei! Sensei..! Help us!"

"Don't worry about the money, just hand it all over!"

"Sensei... we can't just...!" This time, it was a strained boyish voice.

Then, the men sluttered a laugh.

...

**-End of Flashback-**

That time... the rage he felt inside for that behaviour still boiled deep within him; How could they, a group of grown men, ask a group of young children to take all of their clothing off? It was just plainly sick. He still remembered the way his in-game wife made easy work of a whole tax collecting squadron of The Aincrad Liberation Army . Their faces at the moment where just priceless...but that wasn't the issue right then there. While thinking deeply he rembered that the group of oldest children that where being 'boxed' by the squadron was conformed by three young teenagers; A grey-haired boy, another boy (this one red-haired), and a girl, a brunette girl with purple eyes, just like the one in front of him 'Mina' that was the girl's name. Putting two and two together, he widened his eyes and shook the girl's hand.

"Ah, Mina-chan. Its nice seeing you again..."

"It seems you remembered" After saying so, Ririna giggled. "So, Onii-san what's your real name?"

"Kazuto, Kirigaya Kazuto" He smiled and proceed "Nice to meet you, Ririna-san"

"Kazuto-kun! Is someone there?" Asuna's voice asked from the hallway, where she was looking at invite patterns to choose for the wedding with Shino, who was significantly calmer than the last time she was there.

"That voice...Is that Nee-san?"

"Yeah, wanna come in?"

"Yes, thank you" She replied politely "Excuse me..." She muttered and got inside the apartment, taking in her new surroundings. She walked quietly next to him and they got inside of the living room of the apartment.

"Um...Are you a friend of Kazuto?" Shino asked, taking in the appearance of the girl.

"I guess you could say that, but I am actually an acquaintance of both Kazuto-san and Asuna-nee" Ririna replied confidently.

"...?" Asuna tilted her head to the right "Asuna-nee...?" She repeated in confusion.

"Yeah, It's me, Mina!" Ririna told Asuna, who was still confused. Then, it seemed like something clicked inside of her memories and she made a small sound ('Ah').

"Mina-chan! It's been so long!" She said, getting up and hugging the younger girl, very careful not to hurt her belly.

"Yeah, right?"

Shino looked in between the three of them in confusion, and after a long explanation, she gave a silent nod and introduced herself to the girl that couldn't have been older than twenty by then. A couple of minutes later, they told the girl the good news (Marriage), and after telling her how he proposed and all, she happily congratulated them and playfully told her elders.

"And I hope you remember sending me a wedding invite too!"

"We'll make sure to send you one" Asuna replied sweetly, much to the girl's joy.

"Really!? Thank you!" The girl almost jumped on Asuna, the latter getting back a little in fear for her growing child. "Huh?"

"Sorry, it's just Asuna can't hold onto too much weight right now, I hope you understand that" Kazuto told her.

Ririna took a couple of seconds to realize what the sentence meant, and then she took in Asuna's full appearance, taking emphasis on her inflated abdomen. Her eyes widened.

"Y-you are p-p-...!?" She couldn't finish, so Asuna smiled understandingly and nodded.

"Yes, I am effectively pregnant" She answered sweetly, more confidently than she really felt.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

The four occupants of the room stayed silent for the next little while, until Ririna emitted a squeal, breaking the tense atmosphere and almost began jumping up and down in happiness, excitement or joy, they didn't know.

"That's great news! Good luck!"

The four of them talked amicably among themselves for another while, until the bell rang for the third time that day (the first time being Shino), and Kazuto got up once again and opened the door to the sight of all of his female acquaintances, including his mother and sister, but obviously missing Shino, who was already sitting inside. Surprisingly so, Kyouko was there too, smiling nicely (not too much of a grin, but it looked like a happy smile), and she bowed slightly before reminding Kazuto that they were there to help Asuna with the selection of a fitting (very important), and perfect wedding dress, though a couple of them would go with Ashley to get the Bridesmaids' outfits.

He was really surprised to hear that among the list of them, Shino was included too, given the circumstances from months before. But the past was the past, and Asuna had probably already forgiven her. He still had a bit of a defensive state around her though. But that wasn't the point right then (He was seriously getting sidetracked lately...). He let the crowd of women inside, and noticed that Asuna had already guessed their intentions by just seeing them (as if it wasn't obvious enough already). She excused herself into the bedroom, while Sasha greeted the younger girl happily. While Kazuto lost himself to his own thoughts, background sounds were heard like "Sasha-sensei! I missed you so much!", replies to that and other stuff of the sorts, until Asuna came out of the hallway.

Everyone was left stunned by the chestnut-haired lady who went down the hallway in an absolutely beautiful yellow dress that fit her perfectly, even with the protruding bump.

Everyone was silent for a couple of minutes just watching her. She seemed to notice the attention and blushed. Then, she noticed the silent atmosphere and so, she decided to ask them.

"U-Um...Is something the matter, everyone?" Every single person inside of the room seemed to have recovered their ability to speak, but not really coherently.

"W-what? No!"

"I don't know, Is something the matter?"

"You look nicely in that dress, that's all..."

Several replies resembling the ones above were said by the stunned crowd of female guests. Once the sound of nervous replies died down, Kazuto walked over to her, and whispered in her ear:

"You look stunningly beautiful, in case you hadn't realized that" Her cheeks flushed a darker shade of crimson almost instantly as she processed the words inside of her brain, trying to look for a proper response and only getting dizzy (as if the backache wasn't enough), but she managed to stutter the best response that came into mind.

"T-Thank y-" She began, but she was briefly interrupted at Rika's comment.

"There's no time to get all lovey-dovey about each other!" She said.

"We're not getting lovey-dovey!" They chorused in unison, to look at each other and then laughed briefly. Rika's looked at them as if they were crazy.

"We don't have time for this! We have a wedding gown to choose!" She cried out, receiving a loud agreement from the other females who occupied the room.

Asuna leaned into Kazuto and kissed sweetly his cheek with an inaudible whisper.

"Thank you, I think you deserved it" No one seemed to notice the small exchange between the two as they talked among themselves about dresses they'd seen before. That chatting was (also), interrupted by someone who hadn't talked since her arrival.

"So, have you bunch forgotteN?" She asked in characteristic her nasal voice, raising one eyebrow sharply at the group who turned to look at her. "Are we leaving or are we noT?"

The group left (every single person, of course including Ririna that was the second youngest person of the group, right after Hiwasawa Misako who was extremely excited to assist at the second wedding she's ever gone to)

"Ugh, you're right. Let's get our shoes, shall we?" Asuna proposed the crowd, receiving agreement and heading over to the door. However, before she got completely out of the door, she turned around and spoke:

"Ah, I talked to Ryou-san last night. He agreed to go with you to a tailor. Y'know, to get your suit...And put at least some effort in not choosing so much black, 'kay?" His smile drooped in a hilarious expression, making the group of girls laugh.

After they left the house, Kazuto was left alone with his own thoughts, and of course Ryoutarou and Andrew who were stopping by later that afternoon, so he again wondered what did he do to deserve so much happiness...

At the end, Asuna's dress had to be tailor-made, so they sent it to an acquaintance of Ashley. Kazuto's suit was significantly easier to find, but after thinking for so long, he decided that he would wear a black suit (nobody is surprised), a white long-sleeved formal T-shirt and a dark blue tie, together with Dark blue dressing shoes. They were beat when they returned home, but they knew that the things were going perfectly for their wedding day... If only they knew what was in store for them...

The next night...

As the couple lied down on the bed and relaxed after the stressful day, Asuna closed her eyes and-

"Asuna, are you okay?"

"Yeah"

"Really?"

"Yeah, really"

"You do know I love you, right?"

"Of course I do"

"And-"

"Yes I love you too" Then she opened her eyes "Did you have another nightmare?"

"Yes,... Another one in which I lost you"

"I'll have to make sure it doesn't happen that way, then. You won't get rid of me that easily"

He shook his head, but he was smiling "Of course I won't, _Fukushō-sama"_ She pouted, but she smiled too.

"G'nights"

"Nights"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo Sneak peak of the next episodes! **(In order: 10, 11, 10 again)**

"K-Kazuto-kun!" Asuna cried out, holding onto the chair of her beloved husband.

"What is it, Hun?" He asked her calmly.

"I-I think it's time!" He looked at her puzzled, so she added "For _that!"_

_"N-Now!?_ It's still too early!"

"Well, I guess Yui doesn't agree with you at all!"

/\

"Well, well, well. Isn't this a pleasurable surprise? Don't you agree, Yuuki Asuna? Or may I call you _Kirigaya_ Asuna now? You know, you could have waited for me to be freed before you married that brat! Not even an invitation card you sent me, and you're already holding his child!"

/\

"Isn't she just absolutely beautiful?"

"She reminds me of you"

"Enough with the lovey-dovey atmosphere! I'm getting sick right here. Now, can I _please_ see my niece?"

"You mean your self-proclaimed niece?"

"What was that!?" She asked in a dangerously sweet tone.

"Nothing!"

* * *

**Well my dears, that was all! I want to ask the lot of you: Who do you think the man from the second peak is? I'm not giving clues, except that he is thirty something (almost fourty), and he is not an OC!**

**And the last in the third (the one who interrupts the fluff) is 23 and brown-haired she isn't an OC either! The ones who guess first get a special one-shot of their liking and favorite OTP/Characters! And the others who get the most creative answers get a birthday one-shot (will come out on the day of their birthday)**

**As always Read&amp;Review, Follow and Favorite if you like, and read you next time!**

**-Kitten.**


	10. The Everlasting Mother's Rosario

**Yo, buddies! Please don't kill me! I have a good reason for you not to! I'll begin writing the next chapter as soon as this one is posted. And you'll get to see what happened after the wedding (I ain't good at writing that sort of stuff), and some drama for you to cope with me. Alright? Also, I apologize yet again for the long time I let go by. I'm so Sorry! Here you go, a chapter that is 3k long! I hope you guys aren't angry, and without further interruption, my dear friends, I hope you enjoy!**

**Warning: The following chapter of the story may be a little sad, so reader discretion is advised.**

**Disclaimer: Sword art Online and it's characters belong to Reki Kawahara and his work team. I own nothing but the plot of this story and the OCs that may or may not appear along this story.**

**Please enjoy.**

* * *

_OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo_

_03/27/2030 (Wednesday)_

_31 weeks, 5 days since procedure (7 months, 10 days)_

_03:35_

Asuna opened her eyes to the sight of the apartment's wall. She was panting, sweating and she was having a lot of trouble catching her breath. She tried to move, but she winced at the pain that attacked her lower back. Then, she decided to focus on steadying her breath so she wouldn't wake her fiancé up. But she was surprised to know that the one who woke up wasn't Kazuto, but Yui. She felt a tiny hand pushing her stomach from the inside, and lifted her nightgown slightly to put her own hand over it. What she wasn't expecting, was to actually see a tiny hand coming from inside of her skin! She froze in her tracks in shock. Then, with all the carefulness she could muster, she turned slightly to look at Kazuto.

She shook his shoulder slightly, still surprised from the hand. She only received a groan in response.

"Hun, hun, hun!" She kept shaking his shoulder until his left eye sleepily opened.

"W-what is it?"

"You gotta see this!"

"See what?" He looked towards her uncovered abdomen and thighs, and blushed looking away "Um... I-I think you should cover yourself a bit first"

"T-There's no need!" She said, though she blushed a little too.

"T-then, what did you want to show me?"

"This:" She passed a hand over her belly bump, caressing it slightly. In response, a tiny foot found it's way up and kicked. "Isn't it awesome?" The small foot was almost totally visible from the outside.

His eyes widened in realization.

"Wasn't this supposed to happen in about two weeks?"

"Nope, every pregnancy is different. And if-" She was horribly interrupted by a searing pain that seemed to be placed around her lower abdomen. She gave a loud cry. The pain kept going for about a whole minute, but it felt to them like hours. When the pain subsided, Asuna's eyes had small tears forming and there were thin tear paths running down her cheeks, though they we're softly wiped by Kazuto's thumb.

"Shh, shh. Everything will be fine" He kept musing to her.

"I-I am much better now, thank you"

"You're very welcome, beautiful"

"Shall we go back to sleep?"

"If you want to, then it shall be done" He said, mimicking an European accent, yet a little bit off. It sounded funny though, so she chuckled and laid back down, her ear on top of his chest, his heartbeat lulling her into the land of dreams. She fell asleep almost instantly.

_OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo_

_The next day, 03/28/2030_

_31 weeks, 6 days since procedure (7 months, 11 days)_

_10:00_

Asuna sat up panting in the bed, yet _again._ She remembered she had a nightmare, in which some unknown man was whispering something to her, but she didn't remember what. The mere reminder of his huskily hushed voice made her shiver in total disgust. She was about to get up from the bed, when the searing pain yet again assaulted her lower abdomen. She laid back down to rest, when the pain, just as suddenly as it arrived, it subsided totally. She left the bed and went to prepare breakfast.

She was left surprised to see that the door was locked. She tried using a little more strength, but to no avail. She was locked in her room, all by herself, with nothing to eat, nothing to drink and nothing to do in general. She sat again in the bed, and waited for a while. But nothing happened. When she got tired of waiting, she laid back and prepared to take a nap. Just as she closed her eyes, the door opened and she pretended to be asleep. The footsteps drew close to the bedside, and a metallic clanking sound was heard. Only then did she allow herself to fake waking up. She opened her eyes and stretched her limbs softly, then, she looked up to the person who had locked her inside of her own room.

"Mornin', did you sleep well?" The tone of voice he used gave her a vague feeling of Dejavú. She smiled up at him and answered properly.

"Yeah, how about you, dearie?" He looked taken aback for a second, but then he smiled back at her.

"I slept well too. Great to know you're not as anxious as I expected"

"Anxious?" She asked, truly confused

"Yeah, anxious like in 'pre-wedding jitters' "

" 'Pre-wedding jitters', huh?... Nope, sorry, nothing"

"..."

They stared at each other for a few seconds, and then bursted out laughing.

"Anyways, what did you lock me up in this room for?"

"Avoid getting you to make breakfast" He said matter-of-factly, like it was the most normal behaviour.

_"Why...?"_

"Because your symptoms are getting worse everyday. Do I have to remind you of what happened yesterday morning?" He said in his "scolding tone".

"No, you don't have to. Then, what are we going to eat?"

"This" He said, gesturing towards the silver tray that rested on top of the end table that laid next to the bed they shared.

"W-Where did you get _this?"_ She asked in a poisonously sweet voice, a well known feeling creeping into her senses.

"M-my mother sent it" He said, placing his hands above his head.

"Oh...? Midori-san did...?" At this, he nodded quickly and set the food in front of her.

"Then, _Itadakimasu*"_

_"Itadakimasu"_ He repeated, and they ate in silence.

"So... how are you feeling?" He asked once they finished eating.

"Well, I am fine, thanks"

"And... Have you thought about returning to your previous part-time job after... you know... Yui is born?"

"Of course! But only after Yui has learned a couple of important things!"

"You know? I think you'll do a great mother" He said, getting her to blush an impossible shade of crimson.

"R-really?" She stuttered, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"Of course! Aren't you already protective of her, you read like, what? Two or three parenting books a week?, and most of your meals are fruit, vegetables, greens and other healthy ingredients! Don't you think you're gonna be a great mother? Because I do!" She looked taken aback for about a second before she blushed even more (If that was even possible at that point)

"W-Well I guess so, but it still isn't enough!" She said, getting up from the bed and walking away "I don't want her to feel like I did!"

"W-wait! Asuna!" Said Kazuto as he chased behind his fiancee. When he caught up to her (they had gotten out of the apartment and walked for about half an hour), he put a hand in her shoulder.

"Why did you run out like this?"

"I guess I wasn't really paying attention to where I was heading to..." She said, gazing at her surrounding area.

"Well, it doesn't matter now. How about we head back? And talking about that, you may even like to put something less casual the next time you go out..." He said, referring to the simple pink maternal dress she was wearing, as she couldn't sleep with her usual sleepwear, or wear her normal clothes she was used to.

They headed back into the apartment in silence, only enjoying each other's company, the only thing touching being their -almost- intertwined hands.

Almost. That was a very powerful word. It could be everything and then nothing in just a matter of their time. This word alone could be the end of old and the beginning of new. One must never doubt the power that this very word holds within itself.

Once they we're back inside of the apartment, they prepared to relax, as it was Kazuto's work-free day

Once they were back inside, they sat together at the couch of the living room, and began chatting.

As night approached, and the couple started to call it a day, Asuna suddenly stopped reading the small book she'd taken a liking to, and looked up to her fiancé, who was about to lay back and fall asleep.

"Kazu-kun" She called out softly.

"Huh? What is it, Asuna?" He answered, lying back and looking toward her.

"D-do you really think will be such a good mother...?" She asked, as she lied down, snuggling into his chest

"Of course I do! You'll see, you're going to be the best mother our little Yui will ever see in her whole life" He assured, almost managing to convince her. Almost.

"I know you think that way, it's just— I don't want her to be raised the way I was, I don't want to be the kind of mother my mother was!" As she cried this out, she hid her face in the crook of his neck and wept. Wept for all the loneliness she ever felt as a kid, for all the times she needed a friend, but didn't have enough time to make friends as she grew. And above all, for the loss of the caring mother she met when she was just a tiny infant, which was horribly replaced by a power-hungry cold woman.

She knew she had changed. Deep down, she knew her mother had changed a lot for good, and that she was giving her best to becoming a loving mother once again. But she still couldn't forget... Because it was engraved deep into herself, it was a part of it all.

_OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo_

_03/29/2030_

_32 weeks since the procedure (7 months, 12 days)_

_12:45_

"Kirito-kuun~! Hurry up, hurry!" The chestnut-haired lady called from the living room, where she was standing in her maternity clothing.

"You're using that alias again," He scolded playfully as he got out of the hall, full dressed to go out "You always do so when you get too excited or nostalgic, huh? It's become quite an habit of yours, hasn't it, Asuna?"

"It's just- I'm really excited I'll be staying with the girls at Rika's for this next two days! Midori-san said it's quite a tradition to separate the husband-to-be and wife-to-be from about a day before, and the girls decided to make it a whole two days! I promise I'll be fine and take very good care of myself!"

"You're pretty fired up, huh? Aren't you supposed to go there at 17:00?" Kazuto asked "Also, weren't we going to...? well, you know, to _visit_ Yuuki-san...?"

"Oh, yes we are," She said, in a pretty calmer voice, yet she sounded a bit tense, like stiff "It's already been four years since then, huh? Yet I can remember her like it was just recently" She smiled slightly, but the action seemed stiff, forced.

"Asuna, don't force yourself. I know you always get sorta depressed at this time of year, specially today, so please. If you're sad, don't force yourself. If you want to cry, cry, we can't have you bottling up your emotions now, can we?" The girl in question smiled, not like just now, the forced smile, but like really smiled, even though the tears we're already sliding down her cheeks.

"It's alright, it's just- I want to show a smile for Yuuki. She wouldn't like to see me crying but— the memory is just too painful!" She jumped into her fiance's arms and wept. Not because of the painful memories, not even because of the heart-piercing feeling of losing one's best friend, but because she missed her. Her energic attitude towards new situations and fun adventures, that sheepish smile she'd show when caught red-handed, her longing for knowing new things outside of her small, clean hospital room, her will to keep fighting against a terminal disease to the very end of her days— she missed her, all of her, for she had been a really precious friend for her when alive, for the pain when she died was immense. That was just the way it was, the way her very best friend, who would've turned twenty that same year, just a couple of months later, passed away as the flowers she had been named after would wither at the beginning of the season of autumn, when she was barely fifteen years old, in Asuna's arms. And as she was used to, she'd visit her grave that same day, March 29th, every year.

Once Asuna stopped crying, she separated from her fiance, and looked directly into his eyes. As onyx met hazelnut, and the world around them seemed to vanish, Kazuto kissed her forehead and gave her a little pat on the head.

"Come on, at this pace we won't have time to go visit Yuuki _and_ take your stuff to Rika's house. Remember you always have to be prepared" He said in playful tone.

"Okay, okay. Are you ready to go now?" Asuna said as she put on her shoes qand walked to the entrance.

"Yeah, let's go"

.

.

.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

As the golden couple arrived at the grim place, their chatting became more shallow and quieter, as to respect the graves and families of those who passed away.

"It's here" Asuna said, as she slowed to a stop in from of a particular grave, whose inscription clearly said "Here lies Konno Yuuki"

She kneeled carefully in front of the grave and placed a bouquet of Crinums.

"Yuuki" Asuna began, unconsciously biting her lower lip "It's me, Asuna. I know it's been a long while since I last came to visit you, and a lot of stuff happened!" At this point, her eyes were tearing up slightly "You see, I moved in with Kiri— Kazuto-kun, ...do you remember him? You dueled —and won— against him twice, and he— Kazuto-kun came here with me today. Also! I wanted to tell you this earlier... but I didn't get the proper chance to come here. Okay, here goes. I'm getting married the day after tomorrow! Incredible, right? I'm getting married with Kazu-kun, you know?" By that point, she was already crying and sobbing uncontrollably in between her sentences.

"Asuna—"

"No, it's alright. I want to tell her everithing that has happened. Please, I want to" She looked at him whilst she was still crying.

"Alright. I'll go sit at that bench. If you need anything, call me. I'll be paying close attention in case anything happens"

"Okay!," She turned her line of sight back to the grave of her deceased best friend, and resumed her story "Where was I? Oh yeah, I'm getting married very soon, and I'm staying at Rika's —Lisbeth's— house with the girls until then, because, you know? Some families accustom to separate the bride and the groom from at least 24 hours before the wedding! That's what Suguha-chan's mother, Kirigaya Midori-san, taught me last time I saw her. She also gave me a lot of good advice in childcare! Oh! I almost forgot! Right now, I'm pregnant. Strange, right? But it's true. I'm on my seventh month —my 32nd week— right now. I'm gonna name her Yui, for she is the reason of this pregnancy. You know? If you were, you know," She sobbed "still here, you'd be Yui-chan's godmother. I guess we'll just have someone else take that spot for you..." She sobbed once again "But, I'll never forget. I'll make sure to accomplish that by promise I made you four or five years ago. I'll make sure your memory isn't forgotten. I'll pass on the Mother's Rosario onto my children and make sure they do the same, so your blade is everlasting. I'll make sure it's that way, so please wait for it. You'll soon be able to see dozens of generations passing on the skill of the greatest Swordswoman in the whole virtual world, and the strongest girl I ever met, Konno Yuuki" She finished this sentence with a sob, and closed her speech "I'm going to leave now. When I come back, at the day of your birthday, I'll make sure to bring my baby with me, so you can meet her too. So please look forward to it... Goodby— no. See you, Yuuki" After saying so, she raised to her feet, and turned around, walking towards her husband-to-be. After that, a soft voice was heard in-between the sounds of the wind.

_'Jā mata ne. Ganbarou ne, Asuna_'*

* * *

***= See you later. Good luck, Asuna.**

**Hey there, again! It's me, Kitten in case you forgot my name while I was out (;ω;) It's been ten chapters already! Wow! And at the beginning I only thought "Hmm, I'm bored, let's begin writing to kill some time" And so, this same story was born..The rest of the story, you know it already. Also, I'll make sure the next chapter is out before the next weekend.**

**And, as always, my dears, I hope you enjoyed today's chapter, please Read&amp;Review, Follow&amp;Favorite this story if you've liked it, please tell me your opinions, PM me if you got any ideas, OR want a birthday one/two-shot. You can Follow and/or Favorite me if you want, and read you next time I write a full chapter (AKA see you when inspiration rains on me again). Jā matta ne!**

**Kittenofthepastries is out.**

**-Kitten**


	11. The birth of a new life: Yui is born

**Hey there my faithful readers (or at least the ones that have sticked around with this story for this long. Anyway, it's Kitten here, with a brand new chapter of "Sword Art Online: After story"! And finally, I've begun planning the arcs, and this one here is about to end! But don't worry, I've already got the epilogue going! It's coming along pretty well, and I believe you'll have the second arc before Christmas! Also, I'll be getting pretty busy by the beggining of the next month, cause I'll begin my freshman year at High School :) And that's the hardest one in my country, because I'll have to go to school both in the morning and in the afternoon u.u .Well, sorry to bore you with such a long message, and I really hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I swear under the name Kitten that I don't own Sword Art Online or it's characters, but I do own my OCs (that are a whole bunch), and the plot for this story. Please enjoy this chapter that I wrote pouring my feelings in ;v**

_**Just a little quote: "It was strange how your world could shift on it's axis and everything you trusted could invert itself in what seemed like no time at all."**_

**The Mortal Instruments: City of Lost Souls — Cassandra Clare.**

* * *

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_03/31/2030_

_32 weeks, 2 days (7 months, 14 days)_

_13:59_

As Asuna looked in the eye at the familiar, yet strange reflection of herself in a mirror, she wondered why she felt so different from before.

_'Maybe I'm a little bit taller than before? Or maybe I look a little more mature than normal? Is it perhaps the size of my breasts and belly bump? Or the makeup I'm wearing right now? Or is it maybe the shape of the wedding dress?'_ Even after thinking this, she still couldn't understand what made her look so different, so... _distant._

At that very moment, she realized. She looked very exhausted, and really, _really_ nervous. All of the nervousness she hadn't felt until now, was dawning on her. She hadn't really dwelled on the fact that she was finally getting married with her beloved Black Swordsman, or the fact that she would soon give birth to a cute, baby girl, her little Yui.

She had been putting her focus on other, less important stuff, and so, all of the problems, jitters, worries and doubts fell right on her shoulders before she could even realize what she was feeling.

She stared long and hard at the woman in the mirror and frowned. Even though the makeup definetly made her look a lot prettier, it still had some minor, yet noticeable flaws. Even though her friends tried so hard to cover them with makeup, she could still see the lines of those dark purple bags under her eyes, result of nights full of dreamless sleep, or not even sleep. Nights full of kicks that never ceased, even though Yui had more or less gotten used to her day/night schedule, and almost settled into a routine, nights full of pains in her abdomen, or lower back, that disappeared after two minutes without a trace.

She kept gazing at her reflection, at '_that very pathetic-looking excuse of a woman who can't even handle all that hardship and work for making all her dreams come true' s_he thought, and sighed. She didn't even turn around when she heard the door to the room opening.

"What is it?" She asked in a sweet voice, faking a small smile, her eyes never leaving her reflection for a second, hating herself for looking so fake, like an empty vessel.

"It's just me" Her mother said from the entrance, her heels making sharp clicking noises as they clashed against the ground, and her long wine-colored dress fluttering around her in a gallant manner, common of her "You look absolutely gorgeous, my dear. How are you feeling?"

At her mother's sincere words, Asuna's façade fell in a second, and she gazed anxiously at her mother, Kyouko "I see. Your worries have gotten the best of you, haven't they, now?"

"It's just, I don't want to ruin it. It's my wedding day, and yet here I am, worrying about _every_ _single_ worst case-scenario possible, while my fiancé is out there, waiting for me, expecting me to walk down the aisle confidently, expecting me to be the fearless woman he met back in SAO. But I can't be her, not again. She matured way to quickly, as to become stronger and protect herself, shoulder all of her and her guild's worries without the slightest hesitation, and protect everyone she cared for! And who am I? A woman who can't even handle everything she has ever wished for. A weak, pathetic woman who can't even smile _truly_ in her own wedding day!" She sobbed slightly, but she bit back her tears. She couldn't let her friend's efforts be for naught.

"Hm? Is that how it is?," Kyouko asked, sitting in a stool and looking at Asuna in the eyes "If I recall correctly, a couple of years ago —three or maybe four—, my daughter, which I was sure I had raised with all of the happiness I didn't have when I was growing up—or so I thought—, suddenly became really mad at me and asked me '_Why did you do this? Why raise me this way and make me do all of this? Why force your ideals on me to make me be just like you? I don't want to be the way you are! I want to marry the person I love, get a job I want, live happily, not wealthily! Why can't you understand that? Why cant you support me?'_ Or something like that. When I heard that outburst of emotions, I realized my mistakes, and thought:_ I am not making her happy, I'm just doing the complete opposite, and forcing her down a path she doesn't want at all._ So I swore to her that I would change, because, when I was pregnant with her, I was overcome by joy and a deep sense of happiness, and I swore to myself that I would be the best mother she would ever meet, because I had always wanted a girl I could be proud to call my daughter. And here I am, still really proud to call her that way. And while she may not be a high-class lady getting married to a wealthy man, or a successful woman getting amazing awards in her career, she isn't an over-matured little girl in a dangerous virtual reality game either. She is a girl that stands proud, and will do anything to protect her little growing family," She said, caressing the round bump over the soft fabric of the white wedding dress "and today, she will be getting married to the man she loves. What would make me even prouder? If she smiled, and pridefully made her way around her worries, because she needs to live in the present, or else, she'll lose sight of herself, and miss the best time of her life, like I did once. So, be strong, Asuna. Remember, you aren't fragile because you are weak. It's just, you've been strong for _way too long"_

"Mom..." Asuna looked at her mother, awestruck.

"Now, if we're done chatting here, we've got a wedding ceremony to attend, now" Her mother said, opening the exit door, not before turning around over her shoulder, and winking "Have fun, Asuna"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_That same day_

_15:30_

Claps, whistling and cheers we're heard all around the small chapel, as the guests cheered, some even getting to their feet, for the just-married couple that was sealing their marriage ceremony with a long and sweet kiss. The ceremony had gone smoothly, and nicely, and the couple had begun kissing tenderly, showing all of their feelings to each other within that one kiss, the kiss that marked the end of their past lives, and the beginning of a new story, the first goal accomplished for the newlywed couple. Then, Asuna turned around, placing the bouquet in her right hand, and aimaing towards a place far to the right. This was, of course planned, because of a little surprise she had planned together with one of her guests...

Then, she suddenly threw the bouquet into the air, just where she aimed for, where it was caught by none other than Nagata Shinichi. He then, handed it over to his girlfriend, Kirigaya Suguha, who then blushed and looked at him awestruck as he bent on one knee and proposed in front of all the invitees of the wedding.

"I know it's a little rude to steal the attention from the newlywed couple, so I'll be quick. Kirigaya Suguha, will you do me the honor of marrying me?" While this small scene happened, Asuna was smirking to herself.

"Eh!?" Suguha looked shocked at the genuflected man, and took a deep breath "I—etto... You know what? Hell yes!" She then kneeled at his eye level and kissed him, while he placed the ring on her hand.

The audience clapped once more, and in a small while, the attention returned to the just-married couple, much to Suguha's and Shinichi's relief.

**"Congratulations,** Kazuto, Asuna" Andrew said in fluent English, approaching them after the ceremony ended, and the couple had gone over to the invitees.

"Have a happy life!" Keiko wished.

"Take good care of her, or you'll wish you had _never_ been born" Kouichirou warned his new brother-in-law.

"Believe me, if I was to hurt her, I'll wish that even before you showed up" Kazuto answered, sheepishly the back of his head.

"Well, I'll trust you to take care of my little sis"

"With my whole life, it's a promise"

At that moment, a girl with mid-lenght black hair approached the married couple, dragging a black-haired man, Shinichi, with herself.

"Asuna-san!" She called "I heard from Shinichi-kun that you helped him with the preparations for his proposal, and that you threw the bouquet in our direction on purpose. Thank you, welcome to the family and good luck, Kirigaya Asuna-san!" Asuna blushed at the words, but she managed to collect herself.

"Two can play that game, Nagata Suguha-chan"

"H-hey! We're not married— not _yet_ anyway..." She added in a whisper.

She smirked at the crimson blush that crept up in the younger girl's cheeks, and turned to see her _—now—_ husband.

"Come on, let's go talk with the rest of the family" Kazuto said, taking Asuna's hand and guiding her to the place where his adoptive —and also biological— family sat. There we're a couple of unknown faces to Asuna, but there where also Midori, and Minetaka, who'd cancelled a business trip to come attend his adoptive son's wedding.

"Ah, Asuna-chan. You looked so pretty back there! I'd always known why my son liked you, but I guess I got a glimpse of the whole thing back there. Congratulations on your marriage" The one who said this, was Midori, as she hugged her daughter in-law.

"Thank you, Kiri— Midori-san" Asuna said, as she stuttered in her words.

"Heh, old habits die hard, hm~?" Midori teased "Welcome to the family" Asuna sniffed slightly.

"Thank you...!" She said, as she hugged back.

"Hey, Asuna! Come and take a seat, you seem tired!" Her husband, Kazuto called from the table, next to them.

"Alright!" She called back, as she got out of Midori's embrace and walked over to her husband, who was already sitting.

"Geez, Kazuto-kun! You are way too carefree for your own good!" She scolded, once she got behind his chair. She smiled and muttered an "Oh, whatever", and hugged him from behind. Her grin grew wider when she felt him relaxing into the embrace.

Then, the sweet moment was cut short when she felt a strange sensation, a cold, and liquid-like feeling in her thighs, together with a small pressure in her lower abdomen.

"K-Kazuto-kun!" Asuna cried out, loosening the embrace, and holding tightly onto the chair of her beloved husband.

"What is it, Hun?" Kazuto asked her calmly, oblivious to the situation.

"I-I think it's time!" He looked at her, visibly puzzled, so she added "For **_that!"_**

_"N-Now!?_ It's still too early!" He said, visibly panicking.

"Well, I guess our little Yui doesn't agree with you at all!"

"What's with all the ruckus? Is something the matter?" Kyouko asked, raising an eyebrow at them.

"Um...Kyouko-san..." Kazuto said, as slowly and calmly as he could.

"What?" She raised her eyebrow questioningly at him.

"I believe your daughter might be in labour. _Right now"_

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_22:30_

After getting the whole package and Asuna to the hospital, the labour process began. Asuna herself had asked if she could be alone with her midwife and the nurses, making Kazuto all the more nervous. He was pacing in the room from one side to another, clinging to the hope that both his wife and child would be fine.

"What's with the pacing, you planning on making a hole in the floor?" A femenine voice asked from his side. He turned around to see Shino "You shouldn't pace around so much. Asuna's already worried about it. Your worries are just adding up to the pile"

"I wouldn't be so worried if I was there. With her, _for_ her" He explained.

"It's almost midnight. You should get some sleep. If not for you, for them. They are your wife and your daughter after all. You gotta be there to support them when the whole ordeal is over" She smiled slightly "I'll stay in guard for you, and wake you up if anything happens"

"Alright. But wake me up early, or as soon as the slightest thing happens"

"Roger that, Mister"

After hearing these words, Kazuto sat down, and closed his eyes. Soon, he was fast asleep"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Kazuto was whistling a slow song. He seemed _really_ happy about something.

'_My wife's having a child. My child_' His subconscious whispered to/reminded him.

The thought made his grin grow wider as he approached a building. It wasn't the apartment complex they lived in, he noticed, but a small, cozy house, of white walls and a brown wood ceiling, some windows whose courtains we're closed, together with a small wooden door.

It reminded him of their wooden cabin in the 22nd floor. Then, He stopped whistling at the eerie silence that surrounded their small home.

He slowly opened the door to the silent house. The scene inside was even worse than he thought: In one side, was a white wheelchair, fallen on it's side; in the other, was a small glass coffee table, nothing strange or too noticeable about it, except a small white remote, most likely a part of the wheelchair and a telephone; and in-between of the wheelchair and the table, was a body. It was the body of a young fair-skinned woman, with a pretty long hair tied in messy bun that already have a lot of it's strands out, and was wearing a short white sundress and was barefoot. She was lying on the ground, almost lifeless, languidly looking straight to nowhere, tears streaming down her eyes, and fallen to the ground in an horizontal way. Her abdomen had a small bulge, barely noticeable, but it was there. But what really was attention-catching, was the pool of blood between her legs, that stained the hem of the dress with a dark crimson colour. She didn't look up when he came in. Neither did she make any noise. She just stared into space, almost guiltily. He didn't recognize her, but he knew he had seen her somewhere. With the lights off, he could barely tell where she was, and some other small details. It happened when he turned on the lights.

She looked, up at him, and began talking with her broken voice

"Why!? Why didn't you get here sooner!? Why did you leave us alone to die!? Why us!? Why your family!? Why her!? Why not me!? I should have died instead! Even if that left you all alone! For her! For _Yui!_ Why...!?"

Then, she looked straight to his eyes with her tear-stained face and gave an ear-piercing cry.

"Kazuto-kun!"

.

.

.

She was Asuna, and the she kept repeating over and over the words "Kazu", and "hurry", in a trembling voice while she braced herself. But the most catching thing she said "Wake up!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_23:50_

"Oi, Kazuto!" He heard again. But her voice wasn't like Asuna's anymore "Wake up already! Hurry up!"

He looked up to the worried Shino with his unfocused eyes, and rubbed his eyes sleepily "What is it?"

"Asuna just called your name. Well, more like cried out..." Shino explained "And now the doctor is asking you to go in"

"Really?" He asked, his hopes raised "Then, I'll go. Thanks Shino"

"You're very welcome. Now go, your family is waiting for you. I'll be cheering you on, mentally of course" She said with a teasing smile and a wink.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Kazuto got inside of the spacious white room. In the middle, there was a white bed, and the midwife was in front of it, opposite to Asuna, who was sitting in the bed, panting, covered in sweat, and crying out in pain from now to then. Apart from them, Rinko, Rina and Karin were in there too, making sure the rest k went smoothly.

Asuna cried out once again, before turning to see him. She gave him a weak smile, and extended her arm towards him.

"Kazu..." she panted "-kun..." Then she groaned slightly.

"Asuna! Are you alright!?" She smiled weakly again.

"Yeah, I'll be fine as long as my little Yui is fine!" She said, pushing yet again, a look of decision painting her beautiful features.

"Oh"

"What is it, Miss-"

"She's crowning even more now" He had read about the term 'crowning' in one of Asuna's parenting magazines. It was supposed to mean the head was coming out, right? "I can already see part of her little eyes"

"How'd you know she was a girl?"

"I didn't. We call babies like they're girls most of time, until their gender is detected" She explained "In my case, I always call babies 'her', until they have a proper name, unless it's known that they are lil' boys, of course"

"Oh. Thanks for expla-" His sentence was cut off by a particularly loud cry from his wife, Asuna. He immediately got to her side, and grabbed her outstretched hand. "A-are you alright?"

"Do I look like it?" She asked weakly.

"Not much. You still look beautiful to me, though" She blushed at the statement, and concentrated in pushing again.

"You'are doing great. Only a little bit more!" The mid-wife said "Breathe in, and now... Push!" Following the orders perfectly, Asuna did as she was told, groaning a bit, and gripping his hand tightly. I mean, he knew she was strong, but that, that was definetly gonna leave a mark.

Soon enough, small, high-pitched cries were heard, bringing smiles to the couple's faces. Kazuto helped his wife to lie back down, and covered with the blanket once the cord was cut.

"There we go..." The midwife, said, as she grabbed a cloth from one of the nurses, and enveloped the tiny weeping body in it, carrying it over to the couple.

Although her small body was still covered in blood, they thought she was absolutely beautiful.

"Come here, Kazuto-san. It's time to give this little princess her very first bath" He nodded hesitantly to the nurse's words, but followed her nonetheless.

He grabbed his small daughter tenderly from the midwife's hands, and washed her slowly in the lukewarm water as he was instructed. Meanwhile, she was just looking at him curiously with her big, bright black eyes, a characteristic move his Yui would do when confused or curious of something that belonged to the real world.

He smiled at this, and kept washing her until she was very clean, and he could see her fair skin. He then grabbed a small and pink pijama-like, long-sleeved onesie from the box, and although it was a bit big for her (the sleeves went past her hands, and it was baggy at some places), it looked really cute in her, especially the fucsia rabbit pattern design that was all over it. He swettly held her, and brought her over to her mother.

She carefully took the little bundle cradling it as if it was the most natural thing.

Then, Rinko and Karin walked over.

"I'm sorry to interrupt this little moment of yours, but she was born way too early if I must remind you. Let us take her to the ICU"

"A-alright" Asuna said, hesitantly handing over the small baby, who immediately got in a bad mood at being separated from her mother.

"I believe you should rest right now. You've been giving your all to this, and you look pretty tired. As your doctor, and as a friend, I suggest you get some sleep" Rina said, diminishing the brightness from the lights.

"Okay" She breathed out getting comfortable, but feeling odd for her bump to feel so...empty.

"And, Kazuto-san?"

"U-um, yes?"

"You should go home, relax, maybe take a bath. You can come back tomorrow morning, okay?"

"Got it. I'll be back tomorrow, okay Asuna?"

"Yeah" She answered weakly, and when he noticed, She was already fast asleep.

"We'll also tell you your daughter's condition tomorrow. So please rest assured"

"Thanks, Yowasa-sensei" He said, bowing deeply "Please take good care of my family. With that, he left.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_04/01/2030_

_One day since birth._

_10:00 am._

In a white hospital room, Asuna laid, restless, waiting to know something, no, anything about her daughter. And she was so immersed in her thoughts, that she didn't notice when the door opened and some people went in.

"Good morning, Asuna" She was taken aback by the sound of her husband's voice.

"A-ah. G-good morning, Kazuto-kun" She answered embarrassed.

"Good morning Asuna-nee-san!" Misako said from the side, where she was next to her sister, Rio.

"Good to see you again, Rio-san, Misa-chan" She answered courtly, bowing her head slightly.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I'm here too, ya know?" A very known voice to Asuna, said, making her turn towards the direction of the sound. There, stood Argo, with a white box in her hands.

"I'm sorry I couldn't assist to the wedding. I had to run some errands, so here you go. It's for Yui"

"O-ok" Asuna took the small package in her hands, and opened it curiously. Inside, was a small necklace, that had a locket pendant in the shape of a heart, that in the front, had a photo of the whole group, and back was an engraving that said a "We'll always love you, no matter what or where". Asuna carefully opened it, and saw in the left side, a photo of her and Kazuto IRL during the wedding reception; on the right, a photo of her and Kazuto in ALO together in the wooden cabin, and in the middle, a blank space. When she was about to ask, Argo spoke.

"It took a lot of effort, but I got it right. If you're asking about the middle, we're planning on placing a picture of the both of you with Yui" She said, smiling.

"Well, I'll trust it to you to take a beautiful picture. As for the two of us, we gotta leave" Rio said, gesturing herself and her younger sister.

"Why?" Misako whined.

"Well, we left the twins with their father..."

"Oh God. We gotta leave before he makes a disaster!"

The other occupants of the room giggled, and waved goodbye to the sisters.

In that moment, Karin got inside of the room.

"Ah, Masato-sensei..."

"Alright. Listen up. I got news on your daughter" This made the pair concentrate on the doctor. Once she got everyone's attention, she continued "Well, she's really healthy for a premature one, she looks almost like a child who was born at 37 weeks. But she's also a bit underweight, so we'll have to keep an eye out for weight. I got a small proposition for the both of you. As her weight —5.89 pounds— and height —18.79 inches— are pretty close to what would be considered "within the average weight chart", we won't have to do much, just make sure to feed her properly, so that she gains enough weight. So how about this. We'll give this child proper feeding these two weeks. And if she gets within the average weight chart, we'll discharge her. The only thing that worries me about her, is that she is very small. Not like a premature would be, but small for her weight. We'll do further checks, and see if this turns out to be a future problem. So, what do you say?"

The couple looked at each other, and nodded.

"We'll accept your offer, Yowasa-sensei" Asuna answered for them.

"So, leaving that matter, would you like to see your daughter?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_In the ICU room..._

_12:30_

"Isn't she just absolutely beautiful, Kazu-kun?" Asuna asked, looking at her child through the plastic window.

"She reminds me of you" He answered, and when Asuna was about to retort, they we're interrupted by a third voice.

"Enough with this sickly sweet lovey-dovey atmosphere! I'm getting sick right here. Now, can I please see my niece?" Rika asked, pushing Kazuto our of the way, and looking at Yui next to Asuna, who was sitting in a wheelchair.

"You mean your self-proclaimed niece?" Kazuto asked mockingly.

"What was that!?" Rika asked in a dangerously sweet tone.

"Nothing!"

"Alright, now make some space for her real aunt" Suguha said, pushing Rika.

"If I'm not her aunt, then you aren't either. You are just her second cousin"

"Actually, since Onii-chan here is my adopted brother, then I'm Yui-chan's adoptive aunt. Still more of an aunt than you are!"

The two of them continued bickering in front of the plastic window, until Yui moved.

She turned around, towards them, and opened her black eyes sleepily.

Everyone chorused a small "Daww" and turned back their attention to the small baby...

That's how the first week and a half since Yui's birth was.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOOo

_04/12/2030_

Kazuto sat in a chair, next to the bed where his wife laid. That day, they'd given her permission to go visit her daughter without a wheelchair, but she blacked out at last second, falling into her worried husband's arms. Then, he'd carried her to the room and called her doctor, who suggested she ate something.

Asuna was nibbling slowly into the riceball, looking like she was about to fall asleep.

"You should finish eating it, or it's gonna crumble" He said, placing a hand on her shoulder, making her jump slightly in surprise.

"E-excuse me?"

"You weren't listening, were you? Last time I checked, _I_ was the one who spaced out when relaxed" He teased.

"S-shut up" She said, looking away with an evident blush creeping onto her cheeks "Dummy" she muttered.

He chuckled slightly and kissed her cheek.

"So, are you feeling alright?" He asked after a while.

"I am alright! This like the fourth time you've asked until now! Can't you please let me breathe at least? You're suffocating me!" After shouting the words, her eyes widened in realization and she put her hands over mouth "I-I am sorry! I-I didn't mean-!"

"No, you're right. I'm overreacting. Must be truly suffocating to you, right?" He said, looking down to the point his long, dark bangs were covering his eyes completely.

She looked at him with an apologetic expression, mixed with a look of self-hate, with the feeling of sorrow, anguish and grief mixed together as he said the next words:

"I'll go out for some fresh air" He raised from his seat next to the bed, and closed the door behind himself.

She didn't mutter a single word in response, not that he was expecting one, after all, his voice didn't sound angry or sad at all, just... bothered, no, empty, and his expression was still covered by his fringe, so she didn't know what would happen, she didn't know what to say or do; She didn't really know much anymore.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_An hour later..._

_15:35_

Bzzzzzzzt, bzzzzzzzt, her phone buzzed incessantly; Bzzzzzzzt, bzzzzzzzt, it kept going insistingly, until the owner of the telephone picked up angrily.

"Moshi, moshi? Kirigaya here" She answered in a monotonous voice.

"Hello? Is this Kirigaya Asuna-san on the phone?"

"Yes, what is it?"

"I believe there's no time to explain right now, but in summary, your husband has been involved in a really horrible traffic accident. Please come to the hospital nearest to the Tokyo Metropolitan Matsuzawa Hospital* as fast as possible!" After that, he hung up.

Asuna didn't know how she did it, but she managed to wake up from her initial shock, dress up properly, and go out directly to the hospital room (Running, because she was in that very same hospital).

As she ran through the white halls of the hospital, to a very well known room, she got a slight sense of deja vu in the way...

Once she got to the door of the room, she felt an alarm go off in her head, as if telling her not to open the door to the room of her injured husband.

She brushed it off, and was about to open it, when she heard a familiar voice, which made a chill run up her spine. She widened her eyes in recognition once she identified the voice.

It was Sugou. Nobuyuki Sugou.

* * *

***= It's a Japanese hospital in Kamikitazawa, Setagaya, Tokyo.**

**Kay, that's about it. Sorry bout the cliffie, but it's there for a reason, a reason that will be solved by the end of the arc ;p Sorry if it looked rushed, too.**

**Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter (or the whole story if you're a new reader), and as always please Read&amp;Review when you have time, Favorite&amp;Follow this story if you like, you can also follow and/or Favorite me to get alerts anytime any of my stories get updated, or a new story is uploaded. That's all. Read you next time, that I hope it's very soon ;u;**

**Sincerely yours,**

**—Kitten.**


	12. The end of the beginning

**Hello, hello! Long time no see! It's Kitten here, back here with a new chapter. I'm really sorry I wasn't able to post it until now! Schoolwork stressed me out, made my defenses lower, and I caught a cold. First day, I didn't even want to see anything electrical, for my head was killing me. Second day, homework. Third day, I wrote a bit, but the muse didn't help at all. Fourth, I spent it reading a bit. And like that. I got sick on Monday, and right now I began feeling better. Well, now with the story. I've been writing a lot in the spanish fandom lately, as you guys may have noticed, and I plan to return here for a while, though I don't think I'll be able to write so much. Please don't hate me about this chapter, I have my reasons to have taken things down this road, and I hope you guys aren't SO angry at the development. Well, that's all. Thanks for hearing me out. I got nothing to add, so on with the last chapter of After Story, first arc! Also I forgot! Happy eight birthday to Asuna (30th of September), and soon, happy 7th birthday to Kazuto! (7th of October) Today is a mid-point between the two! XS **

**Disclaimer: SAO and it's characters don't belong to me.**

**See ya down there! Please don't kill me! ^^U**

* * *

It was Sugou. Nobuyuki Sugou.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_04/12/2030 _

_12 days since birth _

_15:35_

Asuna stood in the middle of the hospital's hallway, frozen in her tracks. Her eyes were wide open, her skin was sweating a lot, and her hand was still raised to open the door. But she decided it was better to listen.

"When will she arrive? You already made that false call, didn't you? She should be here already, worrying about her beloved 'Kirito'" He spat his name like it was the grossest thing he'd ever heard, and groaned "I can't stay here for long or I'll be found. You had to make sure she came, didn't I order you that?... Yeah I know, but that doesn't matter!" He sighed "Hey, Hiro, could you open the door? I need some fresh air"

Asuna quickly prepared herself for the worst, and held her head high as she dropped the hand that held the door, and watched as the door in front of her opened, the light coming from it blinding her instantly, but temporally, and she squinted her eyes slightly. When she was able to see well, she stared at the man who was standing in front of her, still holding the door. He was a very tall man, of dark hair, and piercing blue eyes. He was about a head taller than her, making it all the more difficult for her to make out his facial features. Probably already past his twenties. He was looking at her in evident confusion. She took the chance to peek over his side.

"Excuse me, but you're in the way. I came to see my husband" She said carefreely.

"Hmm..." He hummed, and made space for Asuna to go in. The hospital room was just like hers, but there weren't any flowers in the pot, and there was someone inside. He was sitting in the bedside chair, looking disgustingly at the body of a man, her husband. The man in the chair looked about forty, except for the fact that his hair had lost all colour, looking completely and absolutely white. He had an eyepatch over his left eye, and simple black-rimmed glasses over it. He wasn't wearing anything too formal, just a normal white shirt, long black trousers and a jacket. He seemed lost in his thoughts until Hiro's voice interrupted.

"Nobuyuki-san. Yuuki Asuna-san has arrived" He said, going back to the doorway, and closing the door.

"Well, well, well. Isn't this a pleasurable surprise? Don't you agree, Yuuki Asuna-san?" He said mockingly "Or may I call you Kirigaya Asuna now? You know, you could have waited for me to be freed before you married that brat! Not even an invitation card you sent me, and you're already holding his child!" He finished angrily, finally looking at her —still— inflated abdomen. It was obvious, to anyone who didn't know, she still looked like she was going to have a child. Apparently they didn't know she had been interned in that same hospital. Or maybe they knew, she thought, and stood on the defensive.

"Well, Sugou-san" She spat "Tell me why did you come here. Quick, before I call the cops" She warned, earning a small wince from the men.

"Hmm ... Smart I guess, but still not enough. You see, I'm here in a time limit because I haven't finished my time in jail, but, surprise my dear. I escaped from that horrible place" He explained, sarcastically "And while I was hiding, I just had the luck to find this boy crossing through the street. So, when the lights went green, I just made good use of my luck, and brought him here when he was unconscious

"Tell me a good reason not to call the cops right now, for you to rot behind the bars of the jail for a lot longer" She said, raising her phone that already had the number of the police marked and ready to be called.

"Wait a bit, dearie. I haven't finished talking just yet. You see, I have a good proposition, no, a very nice deal for you. I have injected this man right here with a drug. And the drug will come into effect before long, killing your beloved hero, who right now is your husband" She intook a sharp breath, but she didn't let him notice "So here's the deal. For now, I've also put a bit of the antidote to slow down the drug's effects. So, if you behave like a good girl and escape the country with me, I'll give him the whole antidote before we leave, saving the boy's life. That's all you have to do. Easy, right? In some countries it doesn't matter if you're married, we can just leave peacefully. And about the pregnancy, it's still not too late to get the whole abortion process going, you know?" "You know I'll never consent to such things"  
"Oh, you will, my dear Asuna. For him" He motioned towards Kazuto's unconscious body "I'll get come get my answer tomorrow, right in this same hospital room at 4 am. I'll bring the antidote in case you do what's right. But you know? It would still be fun to just kidnap you and leave the brat to his death" He chuckled humourlessly "So choose. And consider your answer well. We'll meet again soon, my dear Asuna" He said, placing a hand on her tense shoulder, and then taking his leave.  
When the door closed, she collapsed on her knees, her eyes going wide, and her body trembling violently as she wept.  
"What should I do, Kazu-kun?" She breathed out, and sat in there. She didn't know for how long was she alone weeping to herself, but she knew it was a lot of time.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

05:39

Shino ran through the hallways of the hospital. To begin, she had been told that Kazuto was nowhere to be found. Then, she got the news that Asuna disappeared from her hospital room without a trail. And early in the morning, she had been told the reason behind Kazuto's dissapearance, and maybe even Asuna's; Kazuto was involved in a traffic incident. So there she was, running like there was no tomorrow through the white halls of a hospital to find him.

And so, she finally got to the door of room 1007. And when she opened it, she thanked her training to extreme situations, and refrained herself from screaming out in terror. In the bed, Kazuto laid. He looked like he got run over (thing he did), with a lot of small wounds, and scratches in his face and arms. But that wasn't exactly why she wanted to scream. There, lying on the ground lifelessly, was Asuna. Her dress was incredibly wrinkled, her eyes had enormous black circles under them. Her skin looked sickly pale. Her eyes were almost closed, and they looked red and puffy. Her nails were a disaster, like she'd torn them to shreds in her dispair. Her hair made a pool under herself. It looked disarranged and slightly humid. Her cheeks didn't have any colour, and there were dry tear tracks over them. Shino crouched down in front of her to feel her pulse, but she winced and quickly took her hand away. Her skin was extremely cold. She then tried again, and sighed in relief. It was faint and slow, but it was there. She quickly called the doctors, and they gave her the proper care

.

.

.

She was lying on a gel bed, she noticed. And there was a sharp sound of crying. It was a very known sound, and it made an alarm go up in her head. She began regaining consciousness.

"I get she's hungry, but it's not like Asuna can feed her in that condition" A voice said from her side. Most probably Kyouko being as overcaring as always.

"Mom?" She asked, slowly blinking her eyes open.

"Oh thank God. Maybe you can calm this little girl better than me" Midori said from the other side of the bed.

She handed her little Yui, who was crying as loud as her tiny lungs let her.

"Yui. What's wrong, honey?" She asked, cradling her to her chest, thing that didn't help much. "Oh, I get it. You're hungry"

The baby just kept wailing, until she managed to grab her mother's breast and began suckling on it.

"There you go. Good girl" Then, she looked towards her family and friends "Wha- What happened?

"You fainted from so much crying back at Kirigaya-kun's hospital room." Nurse Aki said, coming into the room "Asada-san here found you lying in the ground almost lifeless."

Then, she remembered the events from before her fainting, and felt her eyes swell with sorrowful tears. A tear ran down her cheek, and fell on Yui, who stopped feeding to look at her mom, and began crying again. Suguha looked at her with a trembling expression.

"There is nothing wrong with my brother, r-right?"

"Suguha-chan?"

"Yes?"

"I'd be lying to you if I said nothing was wrong" Asuna answered, her expression clouded with grief, as she calmed her small child down, and dried her tears slowly and carefully "Problem is, I can't tell all of you guys just yet, but I just- I just can't carry this burden by myself" She finished explaining, and sighed, feeling a part of the weight fall off her shoulders.

"Then, I'll carry that burden together with you" A voice from the side pronounced these words slowly.

"S-Sinonon!" Asuna gasped at her friend, who looked at her in decision, making it obvious that she was the one who said so.

"B-but, why?" She inquired, looking at her in confusion.

"The both of us have gotten better around each other, yet we are still so distant because of my past mistake, but I-I" She stammered, but quickly regained her composure "I must accomplish a promise I made"

**Flashback OoOoOo**

Kazuto and Shino where staring at each other severely. She wasn't wielding her bow, or her beloved Hecate II, but her stare was so piercing, that the mentioned man could almost feel a sharp arrow pointed at his neck. And he wasn't wielding his trusted twin swords, but the fighting spirit emanated from him as well, as if he was ready to take on any fight, no matter if it was in real life or in a game.

"What do you want with me? Why'd you call me out here if you weren't gonna say anything?" She asked, glaring at him more intensely.

"I called you here for a reason. You must know it already"

"Well, it's quite obvious that this is about that day, months ago. We'd been avoiding this kind of confrontations up until now. Why did you have to bring it up?" She asked, her voice breaking at the end of her sentence.

"Because, if we keep avoiding it, we won't be able to move on from the events of that day ever, or we may not be able to behave normally around each other ever again." He explained, his face as blank as a sheet of paper, so she couldn't read through it.

"Fine, what do you want to talk about within this topic?"

"I-I'm sorry, Sinon. I can't actually correspond your feelings, and I'm also in love with another person, who is to soon become my wife. But, I want you to move on. To forget about those feelings you once harbored, and to find someone who can love you back, just as you deserve. Because you're a beautiful woman, and you're very strong, but we we're not meant to be together-"

"But what if we were?" She asked, hope shining bright in her big, brown eyes.

"Then Asuna and I wouldn't have fallen in love with each other, and we weren't going to marry next week." He said, looking away from her shattered look.

"If that's all, can I leave?" She asked slowly and trembly, looking down, letting gloom cloud over her expression, and her bags cover her eyes. She turned around, and was about to leave, when Kazuto grabbed her hand.

"Wait! E-even if this is as it is, I have but two selfish wishes." He said, looking away from her.

"What are they!? And why can't you ask your fiancé to help you with those!?" She asked/shouted.

"Because she is not you!" Shino staggered back, but he pulled her by one hand, and firmly hugged her. Not as lovers, but he held her dearly "I know it's selfish! But I don't want to lose a friend I care about so much! I want us to still be friends, to talk to each other calmly like before! Is that too much...?" He asked, his voice barely above a whisper in the last sentence.

"I-it isn't, not at all. I-I want to try too. I just don't want to lose you either, and that's why I avoided talking to you alone at all costs." She explained sadly.

"Well, I say we give it a try, for it's better than nothing." He said softly, caressing her head, giving her a small sense of Deja vu.

"By the way, Kirito, you said that you had two selfish desires, and with the one just now, only one is missing. Mind telling me your second wish?" She asked, separating slightly frok the friendly embrace.

"Well, I- no...You are a very strong woman Shino, and I admire your strength a whole lot, so I thought I'd ask of you a small favor"

"A favor? What is it?" Shino asked him, tilting her head to the right in a parent confusion.

"As you already know, Asuna is pregnant"

"Yeah, and?"

"Right now, she's very defenseless, even with her current skill. And if something we're to happen to me, she would be an easy prey for all the dangers to come at her, and she'd probably be distracted by my absence, by the wedding plans, and by her pregnancy, and I'm really worried something bad may happen to her."

"So...?" She asked, motioning him to get straight to the point.

"If something happens to me, I want you to take care of Asuna in my place, at least until I can be back at her side. I beg of you" He finished, taking a step back and bowing deeply.

"I will. I promise I'll take care of her no matter what." She said, smiling, and cleaning her face "Now, we better go before people get suspicious." She snickered as he realized they'd called quite some attention to themselves. He blushed deep, and glared at her, but she only stuck her tongue out at him., and winked.

**End of Flashback OoOoOoOoOo**

"A promise...?" Asuna repeated questioningly.

"I'll explain it to you after this is finished. But for now, tell me what's going on, and what I can do to help you." By this moment, everyone in the room left them alone.

"I'll explain, but please don't shout or anything." Asuna said slowly.

"Alright. I promise I won't shout, or do anything that may compromise our secrecy"

"Okay, here goes nothing."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

_ About 20 minutes of explanation later..._

"That bastard!" Shino cursed under her breath "So, what have you thought to do...?"

"I-I have actually thought of giving myself up and letting Kazuto-kun leave... But I know that'd be a coward's choice, so I thought that maybe we could let the a third party involved, thought secretly" Asuna explained slowly. Shino smiled in complicity.

"Girl, I know exactly who to get involved in this" Shino said

.

.

.  
OoOoOoOoOoOo

_04/13/2030_

_13 days since birth._

_03:40 am_

After everything was prepared and in position, Asuna walked through the halls of the hospital, in direction of the room 1007. The machines were a bit heavy, and she was deeply worried for her husband. And for safety reasons, Suguha, Midori, Shouzou and Kyouko had taken the task of taking care of Yui in the care unit.

When the room came into view, Asuna took a deep breath and steeled herself, at the same time fixing the small microphone hidden in her clothing. She put her hand to the cold wood of the door, and knocked slightly. The door opened from the inside, and she could clearly see Hiro standing in front of her, looking a Tad apologetic, like 'I'm sorry Yuuki-san, but this is my job' or so.

Asuna entered in the room, closely followed by Hiro, who shut the door behind them. The scene was very alike to the one of the day before. In the bed, Kazuto laid, but this time he looked paler. And in the beside chair, was sitting Sugou, though his hair was brown once again. Probably dyed overnight.

"Oh, my dear Asuna, you came" He said, a small poisonous joy pouring from his voice "I was afraid you'd let this man die because of the poison. Just now I'll have Hiro inject him with the rest of the antidote when you choose what's right." He said.

"Sugou-san" She pronounced slowly "First tell me. Why are you doing this? Why not just escape from the country just as you escaped from jail?"

"Because my job was my most important thing, and our marriage was something I'd been expecting ever since the both of us met. But then this boy came in and made me lose my job, and you too, for he married you and tainted you with his child" As he pronounced the last words, Asuna put both of her hands around her stomach protectingly, as to keep up the act and keep Yui out of it.

"But, you wished such despair to fall on me too?" She said under her breath.

"Huh?"

"You wished for that despair to fall on me too, didn't you?" She said, this time more clearly.

"What are you saying, dear? I'd never wish for something bad to befall on you as long as you're with me" He explained.

"But, to take me far away from the person I love isn't just cruelty...?" She asked, her voice breaking slightly.

"Well, it's certainly not my fault you fell for that boy. After all, if I must remind you, we met a long time before you got trapped in the death game Kayaba created." He said, shrugging off.

"Then, if I we're to say I'd go, you'd leave Kazuto-kun alone and not bother him ever again? Can you promise me at least that much?" The words took Sugou by surprise, and he staggered back slightly.

"W-well, I-I" He stammered

"I knew it. You can't even promise me not to keep tormenting him. In that case, you can just go rot in jail!" As she shouted that, the windows we're broken, and police officers entered in the room. The door was also taken down, and cops surrounded them.

Sugou's expression was clouded over. "I see, so you were tricking me all along, you bitch… In that case, you should just suffer for this!" He shouted, throwing the antidote vial into the floor, brokeaking it into millions of glass shards, the translucent liquid expanding in the ground. After this, he was taken by the police officers, along with Hiro, who confessed that Sugou had forced him to work for him, taking his daughter as a hostage.

The room fell into silence, accompanied only by the constant beeping sound of the heart monitor that was connected to Kazuto. That was when the constant and reassuring beeping she heard, accelerated hugely it's pace, worrying Asuna. Doctors and nurses came in instantly, and began running a thorough check on him, and two of them began pushing her out of the room.

"Sorry Miss, we need you to leave now…" They tried to reason to her.

"There is no way I'm leaving! Mark my words! He needs me right now!" She said, fighting back.

"Miss, it's dangerous, please stay outside!" One of them warned her.

"He's suffering! He needs my support! I need to be there for him!" She shouted. The moment seemed to transcur in slow motion. She got out of their grip, slid on the antidote that was on the ground and fell on her bottom, and all she could do was see and hear the occurrences in front of her. The quick paced beeping faded, and was painfully replaced by a single, constant note. And the doctors grabbed her by her arms, and took her away once again, this time with no resistance, she watched the doctors around Kazuto trying to defibrillate him, getting no visible reaction. His heart stopped.

"Kazuto-kun…" She breathed out in a broken voice, with a solitary tear sliding down her cheek "KAZUTO-KUUUUN!"

By then, she couldn't hear nor feel anything anymore. For she was broken...

**~The End~**

* * *

**Alright, that's it. Now, I know you hate me, I know some of you will want to assassinate me or something, un-follow or un-favorite, but believe me, this part was necessary. Even I am sad with this T.T**

**Well, as always, hope you enjoyed (and probably cried), please leave me a review with your comments or opinions on the story, Follow and/or favorite if you like, you can also follow/favorite me, I love you guys, read you next time.**

**~Kitten.**


	13. 2nd Arc Prologue: Yui

**Hey there! And no, this story isn't over yet! I do not know why mowt of you spoke like it was over already! I told you there we're multiple arcs, and that one was just the first one! This right here is the prologue of the second arc! n.n**

**On a different note, I have opened up a blog about my English stories, because I feel like I've left you guys abandoned v': I'll put up a link to it in my profile tonight, so look forward to it.**

**Well, I have some things to explain about this arc:**

**-Hanako &amp; Haruto If you don't remember, they we're Rio's twins (Misako's nieces)**

**-Shino works as a policewoman.**

**-Misako works part-time for the company Kazuto used to work for: DRM Progress (And he was about to become the CEO before that little "accident")**

**-Yui knows next to nothing about her father, apart from his existence and the fact that he and her mother got married in the same day she was born (she also knows her mother loved him a lot)**

**Disclaimer: SAO and it's characters don't belong to me.**

**That's all, enjoy…**

* * *

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_07/10/2034 _

_10:50_

She was an adorable little girl, with a short, beautiful black hair and big, bright black eyes, that looked a little brownish in the sunlight. She was about four years old, but she was a bit short for her age. She was also a very cheerful child, but her smiles would always looked kind of lonely. And whenever she was asked why, she'd always answer with the same words.

"It's because I'm patiently waiting, and it's hard for me to" With a sad smile.

And when asked what she was waiting for, she'd brush it off, saying it wasn't important, and trying to change the topic.

She'd always look sadder than normal around that date. And she'd avoid any questions that had anything to do with it. This just helps to worry the girl's teachers and classmates further. A child of her age worrying so much was seriously unhealthy and reallyunusual. But her family wasn't all that normal either, her uncles and aunts all cooperating and helping with the paying of the things around the house. Her grandmothers, that couldn't be more opposite. One, a high class proud teacher, and the other, a hardworking traditional woman with a job from dawn to dawn, both just about to retire.

She didn't have any family close to her age, and the closest thing to playmates she ever had, were a pair of blue haired twins, that were offspring of a friend of her parents, and a young boy who would go pick her up sometimes, who was apparently the son of her mother's best friend.  
Talking about her parents, no one at the nursery had ever gotten to meet them. Word around was, her parents had both passed away, and that's why she was always so sad, but some people admit to having seen her talking to her mother through the school phone. But no one really knew because, unlike anyone else in the nursery, her mom never came to pick her up. Not even in rainy days, in which case, some old friend of her parents would come and get her.

They said her mother was too busy to do it, but they'd heard from the teachers, that she only had a part-time job at a neighbouring nursery.

Some said she didn't care about her daughter anymore. Some said she was adopted. But she wasn't, deep down they knew it. Her name, was Yui. Kirigaya Yui.

That same day, like always, she was so gloomy, that in the midst of class, she said she wanted to leave, and that she refused to leave the nursery by herself. She had asked for a call, and typed in a number. A couple of seconds, a soft, kind voice picked up.  
"Moshi Moshi? Kirigaya Residence. What can I help you with?"

"Moshi Moshi, Mama?" This made her classmates, who were standing closely, to try and listen to the mother-daughter exchange.

"Yui!? Did something happen!?" The voice asked, taking a worried tone "Is it raining over there, or is something else wrong? You never call me from school, and even less at the middle of your classes..." The muffled voice finished.

"It's nothing, it's just—" She began sobbing, to the point she couldn't talk.  
Her classmates we're absolutely shocked. They'd never seen her cry, not even the smallest of sobs. She was always silent and polite, and she never ever made tantrums, so her classmates we're puzzled.

"Yui?" The voice sounded hesitant "What is it?"

"I-I wanna g-go home" She said.

"Do you want me to send Misako? She's free today, so I don't think there's a problem—"

"No" She muttered.

"W-what?"

"No! I don't want you to send Misa-nee-san! I want you to come pick me up!"

"Y-Yui..." The woman said, her voice getting a sobby tone "I understand. You know you could have just asked. I'll be right there" Then, the line went dead.

Her classmates were all piled up next to the door, excited to finally see Yui's mother, once and for all.

About two minutes later, a black car parked in front of the nursery, and a woman got out of it. She had long chestnut-colored hair, fair skin, and bright hazelnut-colored eyes. She got close to the door of their classroom, and knocked on it. The teacher hesitantly opened it. The woman's heels clicked in the ground when she walked, making the atmosphere all the more tense. The woman was astonishingly beautiful, and they didn't know what to say. The woman slowed to a stop in front of the astonished teacher.

"Excuse me. Are you Nagashita Akito?"

"Y-yes. What may I do for you miss—"

"M'am. I'm already married" She said coldly "Anyway. Nice to meet you. My name is Kirigaya Asuna" Then, she smiled, though hollowly.

"Well, Kirigaya-san, What can I help you with?"

"I came to pick up my daughter"

"D-daughter? Don't you look a little young...?"

"It doesn't matter right now just how old I am. I just came to get Yui"

"Alright. Yui-chan! Your mom's here for you!" In the back of the classroom, a child raised her head, her eyes brightening the instant she saw her mother.

"Mama!" She called, and ran at her mother. The children around her looked at the woman in shock. The possibility that she was adopted raised in their minds, but when they saw them close, it was evident they we're mother and daughter.

"Yui!" She called back, crouching at Yui's height and hugging her "I'm sorry..."

"There's nothing to apologize for, Mama"

"Well then. Let's continue this discussion at home. Say goodbye to your friends and your teacher" Asuna said, pulling her up, and carrying her in her arms.

"B-but" Yui stuttered.

"But?"

"I-I don't have friends..." She whispered. "Bye bye, sensei" She said, getting a small wave from the man.

Asuna gasped, and looked coldly to the other children in the classroom. Then, she walked away without even a word of goodbye, leaving everyone in the room completely confused.

**Flashback...**

"Mama" A baby-sized Yui said.

"Hmm? What is it my Yui?" Asuna asked, looking away from the laundry.

"Why do you awways seem so lonely?" Asuna's expression got clouded by gloom. Yui panicked "Sowwy! Yui didn't wanna make mama sad..." She said, looking down. Asuna shook her head.

"I am not sad. I'm just tired of waiting, I guess. But I firmly believe the day will come. We are waiting for that person, that's why"

"Yui ... waitin?" The 1 year old asked, tilting her head slightly.

"Yeah. We're waiting. And someday, I'm sure, the wait will be over. Until then, we gotta be patient"

"Yui ... be patient!" Asuna smiled. That was her daughter. She was the reason why she managed to endure waiting so long after all. Waiting... for him.

**End of Flashback...**

As the pair walked into the lobby of the apartment building, waving to their neighbors, Asuna suddenly grabbed onto the desk in the lobby.

"M-mama?" Yui asked worried "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just got a little bit dizzy, I guess" She assured, showing a small smile. But Yui knew she wasn't fine at all. The doctor had said that she should eat more, and drink some medication he prescribed for her, but she dissmised it, saying she was perfectly fine, but she got those small fits, where her vision would get dark and blurry, and she would get really dizzy. Once, she even fainted, and told Yui that she had just 'forgotten' to eat her breakfast.

It was really worrying to see her mother act that way, but she'd been like that since about two months before.

The two got inside their apartment, and closed the door slowly, both muttering "I'm home"

"Welcome home, both of you!" Misako said, showing the both of them a big grin "Look just who I brought with me today!" She said, bringing a blue-haired little girl with her.

"Hana-chan...?" Yui asked.

"Yu~cha~n~!" She answered, immediately hug-tackling her younger playmate "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to immediately pounce on you, tehehe~" She finished, getting off her. "Auntie!" She shouted again, this time throwing herself at Asuna.

"Hey there, Hanako-chan" She answered affectionately, hugging the blue haired child. Then she looked up to the child's biological aunt "Misako-chan. What are you doing here this early? I thought Shino was on lunch duty today!"

The apartment had been completely changed. They has exchanged the double bed in the main room for three beds: One for Asuna, One for Yui when she grew up, and the other one for Shino, who'd moved in for the sake of taking better care of Asuna. The small office-like room, had been emptied from Kazuto's stuff, and Misako had turned it into her room. All of Kazuto's things had been moved to Midori's house.

She and Shino had decided that they'd work and make lunch, one day Shino, the next Misako and vice versa. Asuna said that would make breakfast and dinner, and work part-time in a nursery. That's how things had been ever since Yui could remember. But they never mentioned her father. And if the topic was ever brought up, an uncomfortable silence would soon follow.

"Well yeah, but she had to go to the police station for something. I think it had something to do with her working there."

"I see. Here, let me help you with that" Yui saw as Asuna walked next to Misako and helped her with lunch.

"Hey, hey, Yu-chan" Hanako said, waving a hand in front of Yui's face.

"H-huh? What is it, Hana-chan?"

"About your mom... she again is looking really, like reaaally pale. And I can perfectly see that depressing aura around her. Is she sick or something? Both of you do look out of it today" Hanako said. Even from such a young age, she was really cunning, and could read people's expressions and actions very well.

"Well, today it's my Papa's birthday after all." Yui answered, looking as though she was about to burst crying.

"Hey, Asu-nee, don't you think it's time for you to, you know, move on from Onii-chan and find someone to spend the rest of your life with?" Misako asked the chestnut-haired woman beside her.

"I can't. It'd be like breaking a promise. 'I promise I'll be with you and only you for as long as we live'" She recited a part of her wedding vows.

"Ah, I see" Misako said sadly, not mentioning to her the fact that that promise was practically not valid anymore 'for as long as they love, huh?' She thought.

"Anyways ... we gotta finish … making lunch.…"

"Asu-nee-chan? Are you alright? You look a bit pale" Misako pointed out, stopping her actions and looking at her. Asuna was washing her hands in the sink, and looked up to flash a weak smile at her.

"I'm fiin…e.…" She said slowly and dragging the words, before falling to the ground, completely unconscious.

"Mama!" Yui cried out, running towards her mother and checking her pulse. She'd been taught how by her aunt Shino, for those kind of situations. Her pulse was faint, but it was there, and it was steady.

"I'll call your uncle. He said he'd be around the area, so he must be prepared" Misako said calmly, marking one of the numbers in speed dial. "Moshi Moshi? Kouichirou-San? It's Misako here. It seems your sister has fainted. Yes, there's nothing wrong with her pulse, we just checked. And yes, we need your help, could you come over? Alright. Thanks, bye" She closed her old-fashioned cellphone, and walked to the door "I'll go find your uncle. I'll be back in a second. You two, please stay safe." As she said this, the door was opened. A dark brown-haired woman got inside of the apartment. She stared at the dumbstruck inhabitants of the apartment.

"What? Can't I come home early?" Shino asked jokingly.

"Good Timing, Shino-nee-san! Please take care of these three while I go pick up Kouchirou-san!" Misako said, not even waiting for an answer, but running out of the door instead.

"Y-yeah, why not." Shino walked in, leaving her jacket and shoes at the entrance. "How's it going, girls?" She asked the pair.

"Mama fainted." Yui answered, stiffling a sob that attempted to leave her throat.

"She what!?" Shino asked, immediately getting worried. "Where is she!?"

"In the kitchen's floor!" Misako answered in Yui's place, for the latter was busy wiping her tears.

Shino raised her head, and put it on a pillow "Just how thoughtless is that blue-haired brat? Misako should get serious when it comes to Asuna" Shino sighed.

"Ne, Shino-nee-chan" Hanako said, approaching "What is wrong with Asu-Ba-chan today?"

"She's tired." She answered flatly, checking Asuna's pulse and vitals herself. "I bet she forgot her medicine, too"

"I don't think I've ever seen her take her medicine" Yui said, sadly.

"Hey, I'm back with Kouichirou-San!" Misako said, dragging along the brown haired man. "Alright, let's get this done so we can finish making lunch"

.

.

.

Asuna suddenly opened her eyes to the darkness of the room 'Is it night already?' She thought, rubbing her eyes with both of her hands, and noticed the tears. She sighed and raised from the bed, for she was not in the mood to lie down for so long doing nothing, and even less for sleeping, for she knew that she'd remember that day, the day she lost him.

"Mama?" A small voice whispered from the side, we're a small chair was placed, and on it was a doll-like child, her black hair and black eyes shining, even in the darkness.

"Yui" Asuna breathed out, hugging the small child who had sobbed just as she saw her mother.

"I thought something had happened to you" She said in-between sobs, in a broken voice that equally broke Asuna's heart. "I don't want to lose you too"

"You won't. I promise I will be here with you forever"

"Mama"

"Hmm?" Asuna hummed.

"Is my Papa dead?" Yui asked, drying her tears and looking straight at her mother. "You never talk about him, and I've yet to see a single picture of him. I know it must sadden you, but I want to know" Yui said, though she slipped and mispronounced some words, for she was still a small child

"What do you want to know?" Asuna asked, giving in with a sigh.

"The truth. You've never even taken me to see him, wherever he is".

"Your father... he is not dead"

* * *

**That's all for now, guys, because I gotta make my homework.**

**As always, thanks for reading, please leave a review. You can Follow and/or favorite if you want. You can also Follow and Favorite me n.n**

**You can PM me whenever you want, I'm always happy to hear you guys out.**

**That's all, and read you next time.**

**~Kitten.**


	14. 2nd arc ch1: The Deal

**Hello everyone Kitten here to say IT'S MY EFFIN BIRTHDAY in 2.6k words. (Just kidding, it's an actual chapter), And I wanna celebrate with you guys, giving you a nice chapter to read. Can you guys believe it? I'm turning fourteen! ^^ And today is carnival monday, so, I have no classes.**

**And I would love to keep conversing with you about my birthday and stuff, but I have to give you your chapter UwU. Also, happy Valentine's day. Just saying it now cuz I won't be able to post something that day. Well, I WILL post something that day, but it'll be in Spanish, cuz I promised them I would.**

**Anyways, here's your chapter:**

-0-0

"Your Father... he is not dead" Asuna said softly.

"He isn't?"

"No. But it isn't like we are separated or anything. His situation is... kind of _complicated"_ She said, puzzling little Yui further, if that was even possible at this point.

"Complicated...?… How so?" She asked.

"Well, he technically died, right in front of my eyes, for I saw his heart stop, but they managed to bring him back about five minutes later... or so they told me, because I had fainted soon after his heart stopped, and they also said he'd fallen into a deep comma, but they didn't let me see him. And recently they've been telling me his condition isn't as good as they thought. And, a-and" she sobbed "They've said that he has such brain damage, that he probably won't wake up, and that, will lead him to a-actual death" she finished, whispering and sobbing. Yui hugged her mother.

"Thanks for telling me, mama. You shouldn't bear such things by yourself." She whispered at her ear, hugging her tighter.

"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have made you bear such sadness when you are so young." Asuna said, regaining her composure and wiping off the tears at the corners of her eyes.

"Nee, mama" Yui asked after a while.

"Hm?"

"Don't you have any photos of my papa?"

"Well, there's something I haven't told you about the locket you've had since you were born." Asuna said, taking a deep breath and steeling herself.

"About this? What is?" Yui asked, raising the silver locket that was fastened around her neck.

"You can actually open it." Asuna said, sighing. She'd done it a lot lately. "It's not just that small picture in the front and the engraving in the back. There are actually other photos inside."

"Really?" Yui asked, a small but really curious glint crossed over her bright black eyes.

"Yeah. Let me help you" She said, raising from her sitting position, and pressing the small button at the side, making the locket open.

In the front, there had been a picture of Asuna, and her huge group of friends, most that Yui knew. But inside, there where other photos. The left side, had a picture of Asuna in a long white dress, hugging a man's arm. The man had jet-black hair, a mischievous glint on his grey eyes, and a black suit. They were both smiling, and looking at each other.

"Hey, mama" Yui asked again "Who is he...?"

"That? That's your father sweetie. And that picture was taken on our wedding. If I remember correctly, my friends managed to take this photo about an hour before I went to the hospital to give birth to you" She explained.

The right side had a completely different setting, making Yui tilt her head. Instead of a chapel, there was a wooden cabin, apparently in the woods. In the center of the picture, there was a couple. A light blue-haired girl of cyan-colored eyes and pearly white skin who was almost identical to her mother, and next to her was a young man. He seemed to be the same from the other photo, but this time he had more of a medieval-like clothing, just like the girl. They were smiling, while holding hands. But what puzzled Yui the most, was the elven-like ears they had.

"Umm...Mama? What, no _Who_ are these?"

"Those are your father and I a long time ago, in a virtual reality game where you could be a fairy, fly and look completely different from reality" Yui looked really excited, her eyes shining with it. "But you won't try it until you are at least 10."

"Eeh~? Why so far away~?" Yui pouted.

"Because that game is a PvP environment, that means, people are fighting all around. Maybe I'll find you a game suitable for your short age someday." Yui nodded, her smile back in her face.

Then, the door opened.

"Asuna?" The deep voice asked.

"Nii-san!" Asuna let out in surprise, turning on the lights to find the brunet smiling at her from the door.

"Hey there. How ya feelin'?" He asked, sitting down next to Yui and hugging Asuna.

"A lot better. For how long have I been out?"

"About two hours and a half. Not too long actually. Lunch's already finished, though. Do you want to have some?"

"Thanks, I'll have some later" She said, looking down. "Right now I'm not hungry"

"Mama. You should eat." Yui told her softly, putting her small hand on her mother's shoulder.

"Okay..."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Hey, Yui"

"Yes, Mama?"

"Do you think I was a good mother to you?" She asked, remembering the words from her husband when she questioned whether she'd be a good mom.

"Well, you were really sad, so I guess that didn't allow you to do much..." Yui answered a Tad hesitant

"Is that why you told me that instead of going to pick you up I should send someone else?"

"Well, it was that and the fact that I wanted you to take better care of yourself and try to overcome your sadness— even if just a little bit" She said, explaining herself clumsily "And about your previous question, I think you we're a great Mother. But you could have been better"

"Well, from now on, I'll try and be the best mother for you, starting by eating more and taking that medicine. And talking about that, what was that about not having friends at pre-school~? Hmm?" She inquired, raising an eyebrow.

Yui laughed nervously "…Well…-"

Then, the sound of the doorbell rang through the apartment, startling both mother and daughter. Asuna chuckled.

"Saved by the doorbell. But don't you worry, we'll talk about this after that, and I will not take a no for an answer!"

"Yes, Mama" She responded, dragging her words.

The pair walked to the door, and opened it, to reveal a near identical pair of girls, the only differences being one was a young adult, and the other looked just around her teenage years. They looked familiar to Asuna.

"Do I know you...?" She asked, looking between the amber haired lady and the young girl with the same hair colour.

"Well, if we were correct, then you are the same pregnant missie that was in the Dicey café, around four years ago, in a Christmas party?" The oldest recited, as though she knew it by memory.

That made Asuna remember the young Amber haired girl who had clung to her as though she we're her lifeline, and asked for help in a teary voice.

"Ah, you are the girl who was asking for help!" She then looked at the younger one "And you were there too!"

"I suppose the lil girl hiding behind you is your daughter. Well, don't you worry about us, we'll explain ourselves. But first, you'll like to sit down.

_OoOoOoOoOo_

_Back in the living room_

_Five minutes later_.

"Well? Will you explain your reason to be here? And why you asked Asuna for help back at that Christmas party?" Shino asked, a tad suspicious "Just remember I'm a policewoman"

"C-calm down, Sinonon. I'm sure they have a valid reason" Her best friend tried to calm her down. The younger girl blushed at being called by her nickname after many years.

"Well, the story begins just around 2022, when I was just a little girl, no older than 10. I had nice parents and we were very close. One day, my father came home with three NerveGears and the game Sword Art Online," she paused for a second, but then went back to telling "We entered in the official date of release, and as anyone else, we panicked when Kayaba announced that SAO wasn't a game anymore. But soon after, my parents became excellent warriors, and our chances of survival. I also had a tiny store in which I sold the items my parents got when farming in the fields. One day, the both of them went to the front lines to help. The floor they we're trying to clear, was the 25th floor"  
Asuna looked down, remembering the horrible deaths of several of her underlings, plus a couple solo players "And so, I waited for the portal to activate. When it did, I quickly went in, and sought my parents between the survivors. But they were nowhere to be found. I asked for them, and someone told me they perished in the battle, but that they fought bravely. I was astonished, and soon fell into despair. Then, I did as I could to get my stuff from the house we'd bought, and went back to the town of beginnings. There, I was found by a gentle lady who took me in to the church, where she took care of children" She breathed in deeply "I was truly happy there. That was, until The Army started bothering us and asking for taxes. As I was one of the youngest, I couldn't afford to go to the fields with Mina and Gin, or so was I told by Sasha-sensei. But the day the cornered the oldest children, I was overcome by a sense of fear for the first time in a year. That was, until three shadows jumped over the Army's men, and protected them. One, was a young man with black hair; other, was a little girl with black hair; but the one that catches my attention the most, was a beautiful lady with chestnut-colored hair and Hazel eyes. She was really pretty, and also really tough. Ever since that day, I started looking up to the lady who I had discovered, was the sub-leader of the strongest guild, and the number one Idol of aaaaall of Aincrad." She paused, and looked down, her bangs covering her amber eyes "Soon after, I was really surprised to hear the game had been cleared. Nonetheless, I felt happy. And when I woke up, I was treated and such. After that, a man visited me.

He wore glasses, and a funny smile when he greeted me. Then, he grew serious and gave me his condolences. After that, he said that he was going to offer me a different kind of lifestyle. He said one of his subordinates was interested in adopting me, If I wanted to be adopted by her, that is. I accepted, and I was taken to the research laboratory in which my adoptive mother lived (and worked). Soon after that, she changed jobs and moved over to a different branch that was located in a different facility. Some time later, she told me I had the potential to be a subject in one of her projects. I agreed, and such, she was born" sh signaled to her younger companion "My 'Fluctlight' was scanned and copied to an extent, and then that copy was manipulated and programmed until it became an independent Intelligent being. We called her Humanoid Artificial Intelligence Prototype 001 Codename: Hitomi. Her codename, being based in the fact that her eyes ended up in different colours by a mistake in her making. But apart from that, she's totally normal"

Asuna lifted her hand to interrupt "Umm, I'd like to know what is the connection between the two of you in that project and our encounter at the café, when you asked for help..."

"I'm getting to that part, don't rush" She answered, jokingly "Well, everything came along alright until we heard they planned on using Hii-chan for military purposes. That day, we ran away and sought for someone strong enough to help us. That brought to my mind the sub-commander of the KoB. We investigated, and sought, until we found you. Then, after hearing from your neighbors that you had gone to a party at a cafe, we rushed there and planned to act natural and ask you calmly, but we were tracked. And Hii-chan noticed, so before we changed locations, we asked for help. But it was too late. So we ran out, and were quickly surrounded by them. But suddenly, my adoptive mother ran inside of the human barricade, hugged both of us and said she had been worried sick. She said that she'd never let the government men toy with her children as they liked. So we returned."

"Almost a year after that, Hii-chan and I participated in a flurry of Turing Tests. The person testing, was a really intelligent and observant man. From what I'd heard, he was going to become CEO of the company after his wedding. The man could easily tell that one of us was an almost exact copy of the other. He then said that the human was Hii-chan and that I was the AI. She passed with honours. But then, I caught something at the corner of my eye. The man was grinning mysteriously at the both of us. I think he knew that she was the AI, but said otherwise so she would pass the fifth and last of her consecutive Turing tests. Just months later, I heard he almost died, and fell into a comma. I heard his wife was shattered. And I've been meaning to meet you since" She finished explaining. By that point, a lonely tear had trickled down Asuna's cheek.

"Thank you for your consideration- umm..." She began, wiping the tear off her face.

"Masato Yukiko"

"Yukiko-chan. And I'm really sorry to hear about the passing of your parents."

"Please don't be. I am glad that they felt fulfilled at their last moments, for they'd helped defeat the one of the hardest bosses"

"Well, now, can you state what you really are here for?"

"Alright, alright. Don't get aggressive, Asada-dono. I'll explain. The project my mother, Masato Karin is working on, requires a new test. And for that, we need both a vessel, and the person to be 'copied'. This time, we'll work in a growth program. You see, our project is called 'The second shadow', for being the creating of an identical person to the 'parent'. Kirigaya Kazuto-dono is a very important person to our company. And we can't be sure he'll wake from his comma, so we'd like to include him in the project. This is the deal: You cooperate with our company, and we'll let you see your husband and have a try at helping him recover"

-0-0-

**I'll leave it there. I love you guys, and there's isn't a better way of celebrating my birthday than spending it with you, my little family of readers. And I really like what I do, so :)**

**Thanks for taking the time to read this chapter. Please leave me a review with your thoughts/Opinions/Rants, if you haven't already, you can Fav or Follow. I'm KittenOfThePastries, and I've said my share, read you guys next time!**

**~Kitten**


	15. Author's note

**PLEASE READ**

**(Don't worry, I won't delete the story)**

**Hey there everyone, Orchid here (I think last time I came I was called Kitten, sorry for the confusion), sorry to disappoint you, but this is not a chapter. Why? Because, as you may have noticed for the lack of updating in such a long span of time, I'm no longer as inspired for this story as I used to be.****But do not worry folks, I've thought long and hard, and decided that I want to end this hiatus and break through my writer's block, so I'll resort to my last weapon: Re-writing SAO: After Story.****I do not know how long it will take for me to do so, but I'm sure that I'll be able to update once I'm finished. And I highly encourage you to read it when it's updated, so you can see the changes made to each chapter.****This will be done so as to celebrate both my 15th birthday and my 2 year anniversary as a writer, that are soon to come. I hope that you are all as excited as I am to see how this comes along. I love you all, and you'll always be my like a family of the sorts to me.****I also hope that you can apologize me for not posting updates in so long, I've been so busy that I haven't even been able to update anything in Spanish for a while either, but that's not to excuse my actions, and I hope to achieve your forgiveness by bringing After Story back to life!****Thank you very much for your time and patience, and here's hoping that we'll read each other soon enough,****~Kitten/Orchid **


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